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( 


JAN  29  1917   ) 


BV  770  .M27  1916 
McGarrah,  Albert  Franklin, 

1878- 
Modern  church  finance 


Modern  Church  Finance 


CHURCH  EFFICIENCr  SERIES 

By  Albert  F.  McGarrah 

Lecturer  tn    Church    Efficiency  in 
McCormack   Thelogical  Seminary 


A  Modern  Church  Program.  A  Study 
in  Efficiency,     iimo,  cloth     .     .     net  50c. 

Prepared  as  the  result  of  the  wide  experience  of 
the  author,  who  is  a  Church  Efficiency  Specialist, 
in  order  to  help  Churches  study  their  fields  and 
forces,  and  make  out  complete,  effective,  and 
reasonable  programs  of  activities  along  all  lines. 
These  activities  embrace  education,  evangelism, 
visitation,  social  service,  missions,  etc.  This  is 
not  a  treatise  on  methods  or  devices,  but  on 
church  statesmanship. 

Modern  Church  Finance.  Its  Prin- 
ciples and  Practice.     i6mo,  cloth,  net  ;^  1.2 5 

A  complete  guide  to  success  in  raising  church  funds 
by  a  most  competent  expert,  illuminates  every 
phase  of  the  subject  including :  System,  Modern 
Methods,  Special  Finance,  Problems  and  their 
Solutions,  How  to  Avoid  Deficits  and  Raise 
Debts,  How  to  Secure  Larger  Budgets  for  Church 
Support  and  Church  Benevolences,  How  to  Pre- 
pare for,  and  Conduct  an  "  Every  Member " 
Canvass,  How  to  Collect  Arrears,  How  to  Make 
Church  Finances  Minister  to  Spiritual  Efficiency, 
etc. 


Modern  Church  Finance 

Its  Principles  and  Practice 


ALBERT  F.  McGARRAH 


New    York  Chicago  Toronto 

Fleming      H.     Revell     Company 

London  and  Edinburgh 


Copyright,  1916,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  17  North  Wabash  Ave. 
Toronto:  25  Richmond  Street,  W. 
London:  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:      100    Princes    Street 


Preface 

"In  touohiDg  the  money  question,  we  touch  the  moat  vital 
point  pertaining  to  the  conservation  of  the  spiritual  power  of  the 
church."— A.  J.  GOBDON. 

"  In  Christian  work,  money  is  like  the  cipher,  worthless  in 
itself  but  multiplying  many  fold  the  value  and  effectiveness  of 
the  other  factors."— Josi ah  Strong. 

Says  a  successful  business  man,  "  If  I  were  to  conduct  my  busi- 
ness as  most  churches  do,  the  sheriff  would  very  soon  close  it  up. 
The  greatest  proof  to  me  of  the  divine  origin  of  the  church  is  its 
survival  of  its  unbusinesslike  finance  methods. ' ' 

THE  finance  methods  of  most  churches  have 
been  a  scandal,  hampering  the  kingdom 
at  every  point,  spiritually  and  materially. 
Recent  years  have  seen  a  vast  improvement. 
Ministers  and  church  officers  are  at  last  facing  the 
need  of  business  methods  and  are  seeking  to  intro- 
duce plans  which  will  be  both  scriptural  and  suc- 
cessful. 

As  a  result,  God  is  fulfilling  His  promise  and 
pouring  out  a  blessing.  Missionary  gifts  from 
American  churches  have  doubled  in  eight  years. 
Church  efficiency  is  increasing  at  every  point.  At- 
tendance and  membership  in  the  church  and  Sun- 
day-school and  all  other  departments  have  increased 
with  doubled  speed. 

While  other  causes  have  contributed  largely,  a 
chief,  if  not  the  chief,  cause  of  the  present  unprec- 

5 


6  Preface 

edented  renaissance  of  religion  is  the  new  applica- 
tion of  business  sense  in  church  business. 

The  every  member  canvass  has  given  tens  of 
thousands  of  men  and  women  the  work  needed  to 
develop  their  own  spiritual  strength  and  loyalty, 
and  to  train  and  enlist  them  for  larger  and  greater 
tasks.  The  elimination  of  deficits  and  bad  methods 
has  reduced  the  hostility  towards  the  church,  and 
the  larger  success  in  this  sphere  has  encouraged 
ministers  and  churches  to  expect  and  strive  for 
larger  success  in  other  directions. 

The  offerings  from  a  larger  number  have  in- 
creased their  interest  and  induced  them  more  loyally 
to  attend  and  work  for  the  church  where  they  have 
put  part  of  their  treasure.  The  larger  sacrifices 
made  have  reacted  on  the  spiritual  life  of  the  givers 
and  of  their  churches.  The  increased  salaries  and 
expenditures  for  education,  publicity,  equipment 
and  other  matters  have  insured  greater  results. 

The  End  is  Not  Yet 

But  the  best  is  yet  to  come,  as  the  work  is  com- 
pleted which  has  been  so  well  begun.  Not  one 
church  in  fi.fty  has  done  all  that  it  can  do.  Be- 
nevolences must  be  doubled  again  within  eight 
years.  Ministers'  salaries  must  be  raised  to  a  min- 
imum of  ;^1,200  and  house,  and  to  an  average  of 
;$2,000,  throughout  the  country,  by  increased 
church  eflBciency  and  by  federation. 

Our  financial  methods  and  ideals  must  be  further 
studied  and  perfected  ;  looking  ahead  many  years, 


Preface  7 

pressing  education  as  to  stewardship  and  plans  for 
canvasses  and  collections  to  the  utmost. 

This  volume,  prepared  to  help  in  securing  further 
efficiency  in  finance,  is  the  outgrowth  of  ten  years 
of  practical  experience,  visiting  over  2,000  churches 
and  conducting  hundreds  of  district  conferences 
and  institutes  on  stewardship  and  finance,  touching 
practically  all  denominations  and  dealing  with 
every  sort  of  finance  problem  in  churches  of  all 
sizes  and  types.  Much  of  the  material  has  appeared 
in  the  Continent,  Ladies'*  Home  Journal  and  other 
periodicals. 

Acknowledgment  is  here  made  of  valuable  aid 
received  from  publications  of  the  Laymen's  Mis- 
sionary Movement,  of  the  Methodist  Commission  on. 
Finance,  Baptist  Forward  Movement,  Presbyterian 
Every  Member  Canvass  Committee,  and  many  other 
agencies. 

To  Joseph  Ernest  McAfee,  Secretary  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Board  of  Home  Missions  and  church  states- 
man par  excellence,  is  due  much  credit  for  the  in- 
ception of  the  volume.  It  is  impossible  to  recognize 
all  the  others  who  have  given  aid  and  encourage- 
ment. 

May  it  aid  in  hastening  the  Kingdom  of  God  is 
the  prayer  of  the  author. 

A.  F.  McG. 

ChicagOy  lU, 


Contents 


Success     in     Church     Finance — What    It       ii 

Means 


II. 

National  Wealth  and  Church  Poverty      . 

19 

III. 

Enlarge    Your    Budget  and  Your  Church 
Efficiency 

30 

IV. 

Enlarge  the  Minister's  Salary  . 

50 

V. 

Essentials    to    Fullest    Success  in  Church 
Finance 

63 

VI. 

Preparing  for  an  Efficient  Finance  Campaign 

85 

VII. 

Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas 

109 

VIII. 

Enlisting  and  Training  the  Canvassers 

158 

IX. 

The  Efficient  Canvass  and  Follow-Up 

172 

X. 

Keeping  Accounts  and  Collecting  Arrears 

181 

XI. 

Efficient  Church  Treasurers     . 

199 

XII. 

The  Pastor  and  Church  Finance 

208 

XIII. 

Lay  Leadership  in  Church  Finance 

222 

XIV. 

Rural  Church  Finance       .... 

230 

XV. 

Women's  and  Young  People's  Societies  and 
Church  Finance 

242 

XVI. 

The    Children,    the     Sunday-School    and 
Church  Finance 

249 

XVII. 

Raising    Funds  for    Missions    and   Benevo- 
lences   ....... 

260 

XVIII. 

A  Constructive  Church  Financial  Policy  . 
9 

270 

10  Contents 

XIX.  An  Ideal  Modern  Finance  System        .         .  279 

XX.  The  Pew  Rent  System  of  Church  Finance  .  298 

XXI.  Buildings     and    Improvements,    Debts    and 

Deficits,  and  How  to   Finance  Them     .  306 

XXII.  Legacies  anp  Church  Endowments      .         •  323 


Success  in  Church  Finance — What  it 
Means 

WHAT  is  success  in  church  finance? 
When  can  the  pastor  and  officers  of  a 
church  feel  that  they  are  really  and 
fully  successful  in  church  money  business  ?  To 
attain  success  in  any  field,  we  must  have  clear 
ideas  as  to  what  constitutes  success  in  that  direction ; 
of  what  goals  we  wish  to  attain.  There  are  several 
elements  of  success  in  church  finance,  and  it  is  of 
utmost  importance  not  to  mistake  a  single  element 
of  success  for  full  success. 

Success  in  Chuech  Finance  Includes 
Honest  payment  of  all  hills  and  ohligations  in- 
curred. The  church  which  unwisely  assumes  obli- 
gations that  it  cannot  meet,  which  blindly  builds 
without  counting  the  cost,  which  incurs  debts  with- 
out the  certainty  that  it  can  meet  them  honorably, 
which  asks  a  bank  or  money-lender  or  builder  to 
compromise  with  a  receipt  in  full  when  only  part  is 
paid,  which  asks  a  pastor  or  organist  to  accept  less 
than  their  contracts  call  for,  should  be  classed  with 
swindlers.  It  absolutely  dishonors  the  God  whose 
name  it  bears  and  who  commanded  :  "  Thou  shalt 

11 


12  Modern  Church  Finance 

not  steal."  It  ignores  the  command  to  "  Provide 
things  honest  in  the  sight  of  all  men."  It  has 
become  an  injury  to  the  Kingdom.  Banks  and 
builders,  coal  dealers  and  ministers,  may  reasonably 
be  asked  to  help  support  churches  and  provide 
buildings.  Even  those  who  never  attend  share  in 
the  social  and  economic  benefits  of  churches  in  the 
community.  But  such  contributions  should  be 
made  in  advance  and  intelligently.  Once  contracts 
are  made,  there  should  be  no  effort  to  escape  them. 
When  business  men  hesitate  to  sell  to  a  church 
except  for  cash,  the  time  is  here  when  churches 
which  do  pay  their  bills  may  well  unite  in  ostra- 
cizing or  publicly  denouncing  those  which  ignore 
or  evade  their  debts  with  lack  of  moral  sense. 

Honorable  promptness  in  meeting  obligations. 
The  Old  Testament  commanded  that  the  sun  should 
not  go  down  upon  an  unpaid  debt  to  an  employee. 
A  primary  duty  of  a  church  is  to  teach  justice,  but 
it  teaches  injustice  by  example  when  it  faiis  to 
pay  its  pastor  and  janitor  and  other  employees 
promptly,  or  compels  them  to  coax  for  their  money. 
Successful  churches  pay  all  such  bills  on  the  first 
day  of  each  month.  Even  if  money  must  be  bor- 
rowed, all  their  bills  are  promptly  paid  when  due. 

Avoidance  of  deficits  and  debts.  A  factory  or 
store  or  government  which  shows  a  deficit,  or 
unpaid  bills,  except  for  extraordinary  expenses,  is 
discredited.  Its  securities  are  depreciated  and  in- 
vestors shy  from  it.  The  church  suffers  likewise. 
To  incur  a  deficit  or  debt  by  large  special  expendi- 


Success  in  Church  Finance  13 

tures,  if  wisely  made,  is  in  accord  with  good  business 
practice  and  is  no  disgrace,  though  such  should  be 
met  by  immediate  cash  subscriptions  where  feasible. 
If  a  church  closes  an  ordinary  year  with  a  deficit, 
it  is  depreciated  in  the  eyes  of  the  community. 
Whether  expressed  or  not,  distrust  is  created 
among  prospective  members  and  a  spirit  of  pessi- 
mism and  inefficiency,  even  among  supporters.  The 
church  appears  to  be  failing  and  God  is  represented 
as  unsuccessful.  The  successful  church  will  secure 
subscriptions  to  cover  its  budget  at  the  first  of  the 
year,  so  as  to  close  the  year  with  all  ordinary  bills 
met,  without  borrowing  or  special  appeals.  He 
who  gives  ten  dollars  in  a  special  deficit  appeal 
will  cut  forty  or  fifty  cents  from  his  weekly  sub- 
scription. 

A  liberal  salary.  A  successful  church  does  not 
make  ends  meet  by  paying  a  starvation  salary 
which  is  insufficient  to  enable  a  pastor  to  live  com- 
fortably, to  pay  debts  incurred  for  education,  to 
secure  the  library  and  equipment  necessary  to  his 
largest  present  and  future  usefulness,  to  enable  him 
to  provide  for  a  rainy  day  and  for  his  family  and 
his  future.  Such  a  "  dead  beat "  church  is  truly 
guilty  of  robbing  its  pastor,  his  family,  the  churches 
which  he  will  serve  in  the  future  with  less  ef- 
ficiency, and  the  state  or  the  individuals  that  must 
provide  for  him  in  illness  or  old  age. 

Wise  and  amjple  budgets .  System  and  methods 
are  not  enough.  They  may  mean  simply  system- 
atized parsimony.     A  successful  church  will  con- 


14  Modern  Church  Finance 

stantly  increase  its  budget  to  meet  the  constantly 
increasing  cost  of  living,  and  the  larger  oppor- 
tunities and  obligations  to  its  constituency  and  to 
the  world  which  its  very  growth  lays  upon  it.  It 
will  have  large  and  growing  goals.  Of  course 
money  must  be  wisely  spent.  What  shall  we  say 
of  a  church  which  pays  its  tenor  ten  dollars  a  week, 
installs  a  fine  pipe  organ  and  demands  cushioned 
pews  yet  spends  nothing  on  social  and  spiritual 
work  for  the  young  people  ?    (See  Chapter  III.) 

Funds  secured  hy  businesslike  methods.  It  is 
not  enough  to  "  get  the  money  any  old  way  "  to 
meet  bills.  A  successful  church  will  raise  its  funds 
by  methods  which  are  businesslike,  which  will  hold 
the  respect  of  every  intelligent  banker  and  business 
man  of  the  community.  A  church  which  depends 
on  emotional  or  hold  up  appeals,  which  "  locks  the 
doors  until  the  amount  is  raised,"  or  resorts  to 
spasms,  which  begs  of  supporters  of  other  churches, 
or  sells  chances,  or  which  secures  its  funds  by 
money-making  socials  and  bazaars  and  other 
methods  which  would  discredit  a  political  party, 
must  clearly  be  considered  unsuccessful. 

The  use  of  Scriptural  methods.  Even  methods 
which  are  wise  in  other  businesses  may  be  unwise 
in  church  finance,  just  as  certain  methods  which 
are  desirable  in  banking  are  unwise  in  factories. 
Business  methods  for  a  store  are  often  unbusiness- 
like for  a  factory  or  a  railroad.  Each  business  is 
different  from  other  businesses.  Finance  methods 
in  a  successful  church  will  conform  to  the  spiritual 


Success  in  Church  Finance  15 

purposes  and  Scriptural  principles  which  should 
govern  in  a  church.  They  must  not  hinder — they 
must  directly  advance — the  spiritual  and  social, 
the  missionary  and  evangelistic,  goals  of  the  church. 

Pew  rents  or  annual  payments,  even  where  they 
get  plenty  of  money,  are  not  successful  methods  of 
church  finance.  They  defeat  the  very  ends  of  the 
church.  Gifts  are  to  be  made  to  God,  not  to  man, 
whether  he  be  trustee  or  treasurer  or  pastor. 
Giving  is  to  be  an  act  of  worship,  a  weekly  re- 
minder of  divine  ownership  and  sovereignty  and  of 
man's  stewardship  and  partnership.  The  Bible 
calls  for  weekly  offerings  from  every  member,  rich 
or  poor,  and  no  church  is  fully  successful  as  to 
finance  until  it  has  thus  led  every  member  to  bring 
gifts  to  the  service  every  Sabbath,  to  be  solemnly 
dedicated  to  the  Almighty,  linking  up  their  week's 
money-making  with  their  prayers  and  praises.  (See 
Chapter  XX.) 

Socials  are  essential  in  a  church  which  serves  the 
God  of  the  Old  Testament  who  ordered  His  people 
to  eat  and  mingle  together  in  social  fellowship  each 
year  for  days  at  the  Passover  and  other  great  feasts. 
Christ  expects  His  church  to  imitate  Him  in  bring- 
ing the  disciples  together  at  the  table.  He  was 
known  by  the  breaking  of  bread.  He  used  feasts 
as  occasions  for  special  instruction.  His  last  and 
greatest  sermon  was  given  at  a  supper.  The  Apos- 
tolic Church  developed  democracy  and  spirituality 
by  social  meals. 

But  the  social  life  described  in  the  Bible  was 


l6  Modern  Church  Finance 

free.  It  was  not  like  the  apartment  house  which 
penalizes  large  families.  No  admission  was  charged 
by  Moses  or  Christ  or  Paul.  There  is  no  record 
of  cake  sales  for  the  building  of  the  tabernacle,  of 
bazaars  to  finance  the  temple,  or  of  pie  or  straw- 
berry socials  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  saints  at 
Jerusalem.  The  successful  church  will  increase  its 
social  activities  but  will  divorce  them  from  its 
finances.  It  may  make  them  self-supporting  by 
charging  just  what  they  cost,  or  it  may  pay  for 
them  from  the  church  budget.  It  will  raise  funds 
by  methods  which  compel  its  members  to  feel  their 
sacrifices  as  the  Scripture  intended,  rather  than  by 
buying  or  selling  so  that  they  will  not  realize  that 
they  are  paying.  Socials  should  be  so  given  that  a 
poor  man  with  six  children  may  participate  in  and 
benefit  by  them  without  having  to  pay  four  times 
as  much  as  his  rich  neighbor  with  no  children. 

To  entirely  eliminate  bazaars  and  suppers  for 
money  raising  wiU  require  inspiration  and  educa- 
tion. If  societies  have  had  no  other  activities  they 
should  be  given  other  work  to  do  when  money- 
making  activities  are  discontinued  or  the  church 
will  suffer.  They  may  reduce  such  activities  to  a 
minimum  gradually.  But  the  successful  church 
will  ultimately  raise  its  current  expenses  without 
any  bazaars  or  bizarre  methods. 

DemoGracy  in  giving.  Even  though  one  man  or 
woman  or  a  small  group  should  be  amply  able  and 
willing  to  support  a  church,  to  make  up  any  deficit 
and  relieve  others  of  any  necessity  to  sacrifice,  this 


Success  in  Church  Finance  17 

is  an  unsuccessful  plan.  Those  who  give  nothing, 
or  inadequately,  will  cease  to  grow  spiritually  and 
will  lose  interest.  The  church  must  induce  each 
man,  woman  and  child  to  give  until  it  hurts,  "  for 
their  own  soul's  good."  "  All  need  the  grace 
which  giving  gives."  The  church  which  asks  aid 
of  others  or  of  a  missionary  board  before  it  has 
done  all  it  can  for  itself  is  guilty  of  getting  money 
under  false  pretense. 

Raising  all  that  folks  ought  to  give.  A  church 
is  not  fully  successful  financially  because  it  "  does 
as  well  as  other  churches,"  or  "  raises  more  than  it 
used  to  do,"  or  "  secures  all  the  money  which  it 
needs,"  if  its  people  owe  more  than  they  now  give. 

A  church  must  insure  that  all  its  members  are 
honest  in  paying  to  God,  through  the  church  and 
the  missionary  agencies,  and  through  God's  other 
enterprises,  all  that  they  should  pay.  "  If  I  do  not 
see  immediately  where  my  landlord  or  banker  will 
use  the  money  I  pay  him,  that  is  no  excuse  for 
failure  to  pay  my  rent  or  interest."  So,  since  God 
is  the  Great  Creator  and  Landlord  and  Banker,  and 
we  are  His  tenants  and  stewards  and  partners,  we 
are  to  set  aside  His  share  as  rent  or  interest  and 
find  where  it  can  best  be  used  for  Him.  The  ques- 
tion is  not  about  an  exact  tithe.  The  man  with  a 
large  family  and  two  dollars  a  day  may  pay  only 
three  or  ^yq  per  cent,  of  his  income.  Folks  with 
incomes  amounting  to  thousands  should  pay  twenty 
or  fifty  per  cent,  of  their  incomes  for  the  business 
of  their  Creator  and  Saviour  and  the  giver  of  all 


l8  Modern  Church  Finance 

economic  and  educational  and  spiritual  blessings. 
The  successful  church  will  educate  its  members  to 
face  intelligently,  and  to  meet  honestly,  all  their 
financial  obligation  to  Him  who  is  the  source  of  all 
wealth  and  who  "  giveth  the  power  to  get  wealth." 
God  has  a  big  business,  the  business  of  world  re- 
demption, of  fulfilling  the  prayer  of  our  Lord  and 
of  our  own  hearts  ;  "  Thy  kingdom  come.  Thy  will 
be  done,  as  in  Heaven  so  on  earth."  He  expects 
His  church  to  teach  simple  living  and  sacrificial 
giving,  to  remind  the  multitude  of  Ananiases  and 
Sapphiras  how  they  are  robbing  God. 

All  money  business  handled  in  a  businesslike 
way,  including  the  teaching  of  commercial  honesty 
by  promptness  in  the  collection  of  arrears,  in 
making  payments,  in  the  use  of  vouchers,  audits, 
publicity,  etc. 

Permanency.  A  successful  church  will  not  de- 
pend for  success  upon  a  treasurer  or  trustee  or 
pastor  or  upon  a  small  group.  There  will  be  un- 
derstudies for  every  office,  who  are  familiar  with 
the  plans  and  methods,  who  could  take  up  the 
work  at  any  time.  Besides  the  children  will  be 
educated  so  that  the  church  of  to-morrow  will  be 
amply  provided  for  when  the  present  givers  die.  A 
man  who  gave  five  hundred  dollars  a  year  failed  to 
train  his  children.  After  his  death  their  total  gifts 
were  under  sixty  dollars. 

Again,  pledges  should  be  "  until  further  notice," 
not  to  expire  when  pastor  moves.  The  Lord's  work 
and  needs  continue  whether  there  is  a  pastor  or  not. 


n 

National  Wealth  and  Church  Poverty 

Our  marvellous  national  wealth. 

THESE  are  days  of  growing  incomes,  of 
multiplied  spending  ability,  of  vast  and 
rapidly  increasing  wealth,  of  material 
prosperity  for  all  Americans. 

While  statistics  vary  slightly  with  the  stand- 
point of  the  statistician,  and  the  exact  facts  fluc- 
tuate with  good  times  and  bad,  yet  no  one  questions 
the  main  fact  that  the  increase  of  our  national 
wealth  has  been  practically  continuous  and  is  more 
marvellous  than  any  tale  from  "  Arabian  Nights." 
In  a  little  over  a  century  our  national  wealth  in- 
creased from  scarcely  $200  to  at  least  $1,600  or 
$1,800  per  capita  ;  all  reliable  authorities  estimating 
it  to-day  at  from  160  to  200  billions,  as  against  only 
about  one  billion  in  1800.  It  has  increased  more 
than  eight  times  as  fast  as  our  population. 

Josiah  Strong,  in  "  Our  Country,"  quotes  Glad- 
stone as  declaring  that  the  accumulated  wealth  of 
the  world  which  could  be  handed  down  to  posterity 
was  doubled  between  1800  and  1850,  due  largely 
to  new  machinery  and  new  discoveries,  and  that  it 
doubled  again  between  1850  and  1870.  It  has 
accelerated  even  faster  since  1870. 

In  the  immediate  future  this  rate  of  increase 
19 


20  Modern  Church  Finance 

will  largely  continue.  By  better  seed  corn  and 
seed  wheat,  by  new  methods  of  preserving  and 
increasing  soil  fertility,  by  new  chemical  and  bio- 
logical discoveries,  by  the  work  of  10,000  scientists 
who  are  extending  the  developments  begun  by 
such  men  as  Whitney  and  Burbank  and  Edison,  by 
the  growing  activities  of  our  departments  of  Agri- 
culture and  of  Commerce,  by  our  enlarging  foreign 
markets  and  closer  relations  between  producers 
and  consumers,  by  increased  efficiency  in  the  use  of 
labor  and  by  a  myriad  other  means  will  we  con- 
tinue to  advance  towards  a  national  wealth  far 
beyond  our  fondest  present  hopes. 

Our  nation's  wealth,  already  one-fourth  of  the 
world's  wealth,  will  easily  pass  the  incomprehen- 
sible sum  of  $1,000,000,000,000  during  the  lives  of 
millions  of  American  citizens.  As  we  approach 
the  economic  efficiency,  the  industrial  democracy, 
and  the  scientific  achievements  prophesied  by 
Andrew  Carnegie,  Henry  Ford  and  multitudes  of 
other  captains  of  industry,  as  well  as  by  doctors  of 
sociology,  we  may  well  imagine  that  poverty  will 
be  abolished  and  an  adequate  support  will  be 
assured  to  every  deserving  American  citizen. 

The  diUy  of  the  church  as  to  wealth.  In  this 
"  Age  of  Wealth "  which  God's  providence  has 
permitted,  any  church  is  sadly  delinquent  which 
does  not  seek  prayerfully  and  fully  to  discover, 
and  aggressively  to  help  to  realize,  the  plans  and 
purposes  for  which  God  has  entrusted  this  wealth 
to  this  nation  and  to  this  generation. 


National  Wealth  and  Church  Poverty     21 

As  a  prophet  of  God  and  an  ambassador  for 
Christ,  the  church  is  responsible  for  making  clear 
to  individuals  and  to  society,  both  the  chief  pur- 
poses of  God  as  to  extending  and  perfecting  His 
Kingdom  on  earth  and  the  resources  and  strategy 
which  God  expects  them  to  use  in  helping  Him. 
This  wealth  is  a  very  important  part  of  the  Divine 
resources  for  the  redemption  of  the  world,  essential 
to  the  Divine  strategy.  To  use  the  logic  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  when  he  declared  that  "  God  must 
love  the  common  people,  since  He  has  made  so 
many  of  them,"  God  certainly  must  love,  and  must 
have  great  need  of,  this  wealth  which  He  in  His 
wisdom  has  so  evidently  fostered.  He  must  expect 
great  things  from  the  nation  and  from  the  indi- 
viduals to  whom  He  entrusts  it. 

The  Bible  and  wealth.  The  Old  Testament  is 
filled  with  passages  emphasizing  that  God  created 
all  wealth  and  that  He  still  claims  it,  that  He  has 
definite  purposes  for  its  development  and  use  and 
that  He  expects  the  church  and  its  members  loyally 
to  seek  out  and  to  conform  to  these  purposes.  The 
very  first  chapter  of  Genesis  declares  that  "  In  the 
beginning,  God  created  the  earth "  and  all  its 
wealth  of  soil  and  mineral  and  vegetable  and  ani- 
mal life,  and  that  He  gave  these  to  man  (not  to 
own  but)  merely  to  possess,  to  "  have  dominion 
over  "  as  His  stewards.  Chapter  after  chapter  of 
Exodus,  Leviticus,  Numbers  and  Deuteronomy  is 
occupied  with  detailed  and  reiterated  statements 
as  to  God's  ownership  of  wealth,  as  to  His  share  of 


22  Modern  Church  Finance 

the  proceeds  and  the  way  the  church  is  to  secure 
and  administer  it.  The  Old  Testament  reminds  us 
of  God's  ownership  on  almost  every  page,  and  it 
closes  with  the  denunciation  by  the  prophet  Malachi 
of  the  most  fearful  curses  upon  the  Jewish  people, 
both  as  a  church  and  as  a  nation,  because  "  Ye 
have  robbed  me  in  tithes  and  in  offerings." 

In  fulfillment  of  their  stewardship  the  Hebrews 
were  commanded  both  to  bring  a  whole  tithe  or 
tenth  of  fruits  and  grains  and  of  all  net  income  for 
the  use  of  the  church ;  to  bring  meal  offerings, 
peace  offerings,  wave  offerings,  burnt  offerings, 
first  fruits,  a  second  tithe,  and  many  other  special 
offerings.  They  were  also  ordered  to  leave  the 
gleanings  of  their  field  and  to  give  abundant  alms 
for  the  poor,  whether  strangers  or  of  their  own 
race.  They  gave  from  twenty-five  to  thirty-five 
per  cent,  of  their  income  in  charities  and  for  the 
church  according  to  Jehovah's  minute  instruc- 
tions. 

The  New  Testament  Gospel  of  love  emphasizes 
even  more  constantly  God's  concern  with  material 
wealth  and  man's  stewardship.  Dr.  L.  C.  Barnes 
reminds  us  that  in  thirteen  of  His  twenty -nine  par- 
able sermons,  Jesus  referred  to  material  property 
and  possessions  in  some  way  ;  while  such  parables 
as  those  of  the  husbandman,  of  the  pounds,  of  the 
talents,  etc.,  most  emphatically  set  forth  God's 
stewardship. 

In  the  only  description  which  Jesus  gave  of  the  last 
judgment.  He  emphasized  stewardship  by  asserting 


National  Wealth  and  Church  Poverty     23 

that  those  who  fail  to  feed  the  hungry,  or  to  meet 
other  needs  of  his  fellow  men  which  require  money, 
have  failed  to  do  those  things  unto  Him,  and  would 
be  told  "  to  depart  from  Me  into  everlasting  pun- 
ishment." Jesus  classes  them  with  the  wicked, 
while  He  classes  the  liberal  as  the  righteous.  He 
declared  that  rich  men  (those  who  trust  in  riches) 
should  find  entrance  into  the  Kingdom  as  difficult 
as  the  passage  of  a  camel  through  a  needle's  eye. 

Since  Christ  paid  the  temple  tax  and  sought  "  to 
fulfill  all  righteousness,"  we  can  be  sure  that  He 
brought  all  the  offerings  required  of  the  Hebrews. 
Indeed,  His  last  recorded  public  act  in  the  temple  was 
when  He  "  sat  over  against  the  treasury  and  beheld 
how  the  multitude  cast  money  into  the  treasury," 
"  called  unto  Him  His  disciples  "  and  instructed 
them,  as  officers  who  would  found  His  first  church, 
as  to  how  they  must  judge  liberality,  and  praised 
the  poor  widow  who  recognized  her  duty  by  bring- 
ing offerings  even  out  of  her  poverty  (Mark  xii. 
41-44). 

Paul  is  usually  referred  to  as  a  theologian  but  he 
shows  his  practical  wisdom  and  emphasizes  the 
spiritual  significance  of  wealth  by  the  fact  that 
every  letter  of  his  which  remains  to  us  contains 
some  instruction  as  to  why  or  how  or  how  much 
to  give.  He  declared  covetousness  to  be  idolatry, 
the  most  heinous  possible  sin,  classing  it  with 
adultery  and  murder.  He  gave  repeated  instruc- 
tions as  to  how  those  who  minister  in  the  gospel 
should  be  freely  supported  by  the  church. 


24  Modern  Church  Finance 

Surely  the  modern  church  must  be  deeply  con- 
cerned that  her  members  shall  properly  recognize 
God's  ownership  and  their  stewardship,  so  as  to 
find  a  blessing  in  its  use  rather  than  a  curse  from 
its  misuse.  She  must  cultivate  "  this  grace  also," 
as  Paul  terms  liberality,  as  faithfully  as  she  culti- 
vates the  graces  of  "  faith  and  hope  and  love."  She 
must  also,  in  the  light  of  a  diligent  study  of  the 
Scriptures  and  of  God's  past  and  present  provi- 
dences, exercise  utmost  zeal  in  developing  a  policy 
and  methods  and  ideals  which  shall  insure,  in  the 
wisest  and  fullest  measure,  both  the  development 
and  the  conservation  of  America's  wealth  and  the 
employment  of  it,  to  the  last  dollar,  in  accordance 
w4th  God's  will. 

Money  a  necessity  for  churches.  But,  bringing 
the  faith  cure  idea  into  church  finance,  the  ob- 
jection is  often  made  that  churches  do  not  need 
money  for  themselves.  One  writer  declares,  *'  The 
church  ought  to  spend  no  energy  on  methods  or 
efforts  for  raising  money.  If  she  have  sufficient 
faith  and  devote  herself  to  prayer,  she  will  not  need 
it " ;  while  another  says,  "  I  will  not  join  any  church 
which  requires  me  to  give  money,  for  God  has  such 
power  that  any  church  of  His  can  accomplish  all 
things  through  prayer,  without  the  help  of  the 
devil's  filthy  lucre." 

True,  money  cannot  take  the  place  of — it  can 
merely  supplement — faith  and  prayer  and  personal 
service.  But  money,  and  the  wealth  which  it  repre- 
sents, are  spiritual  in  origin  and  purpose,  for  they 


National  Wealth  and  Church  Poverty     25 

originated  with  a  God  who  is  spiritual  and  would 
make  nothing  without  a  spiritual  purpose,  and  who 
declared,  after  He  had  made  wealth,  that  all  things 
that  He  had  made  were  "  very  good."  While 
ill-gotten  or  wrongly-used  money  is  "  filthy," 
money  and  wealth  themselves  are  holy  and  have 
spiritual  values  when  they  are  used  according  to 
the  holy  and  spiritual  purpose  of  their  creator. 
God  made  them  that  He  might  work  through  their 
use  as  truly  and  as  spiritually  as  through  prayer  or 
human  personalities. 

Christ,  our  example  of  spirituality  and  faith,  who 
might  have  prayed  for  manna  from  Heaven  to  feed 
the  5,000,  who  used  all  of  the  five  available  loaves 
and  both  of  the  available  fishes  before  asking 
miraculous  intervention,  gives  to  Christians  and  to 
the  church  a  matchless  illustration  of  how  they  too 
must  use  all  the  material  wealth  and  other  resources 
available,  either  in  their  business  or  in  their  churches, 
before  expecting  God  to  answer  their  prayers.  To 
prate  of  faith  while  robbing  God  and  disobeying 
His  commands  as  to  liberal  offerings  for  the  use  of 
His  church  is  either  superstition  or  simple  stupidity 
or  sinful  hypocrisy. 

History  shows  that  churches  which  have  per- 
sistently belittled  stewardship  and  finances,  which 
have  not  used  money  in  their  work,  have  either  be- 
come spiritually  anaemic  or  have  ceased  to  grow. 
The  churches  which  are  developing  red-blooded 
Christians,  which  are  growing  in  numbers  and  in- 
fluence, are  churches  which  conform  to  the  Scrip- 


26  Modern  Church  Finance 

tural  ideals  and  methods  as  to  securing  liberal 
financial  incomes. 

The  increased  financictl  necessities  of  the  modern 
church.  Not  merely  must  churches  use  money  if 
they  are  to  expect  a  Divine  blessing  but  common 
sense  teaches,  and  practical  experience  demonstrates, 
that  no  modern  church  can  hold  its  own  to-day, 
much  less  make  the  advances  which  it  should,  with- 
out a  budget  providing  for  largely  increased  ex- 
penditures to  meet  the  increased  cost  of  living  and 
of  the  rising  standards  of  ministerial  education  and 
equipment  for  eflBciency  as  well  as  to  meet  the 
rising  cost  of  labor  and  coal  and  supplies. 

The  church  is  not  the  Kingdom.  Churches  are 
not  ends  but  means  to  the  establishment  of  the 
Kingdom.  Yet  God  has  entrusted  present  day 
America  with  so  much  of  the  wealth  of  the  world 
because  American  churches  are  entrusted  with  most 
unusual  duties  and  responsibilities  in  connection 
with  His  world  program  for  the  perfecting  of  His 
Kingdom  on  earth.  As  goes  America  so  goes  the 
world.  As  goes  American  Christianity,  so  will 
America  and  the  rest  of  the  world  go.  American 
Christians,  American  ideals  and  American  forces 
are  all  close  to  the  heart  and  purpose  of  Christ  and 
they  are  His  chosen  agencies  to  perfect  here  the 
ideals  and  forces  and  methods  and  plans  by  which 
the  kingdoms  of  this  world  shall  be  made  Kingdoms 
of  Christ. 

As  God  has  given  American  Christians  the 
clearest    present    understanding  of    the  political, 


National  Wealth  and  Church  Poverty     27 

social,  moral  and  spiritual  ideals  which  He  expects 
them  to  develop  and  perfect  and  impart  to  the  rest 
of  the  world,  so  He  has  entrusted  to  American 
churches  the  clearest  understanding  of  the  intel- 
lectual and  educational  and  evangelistic  and  social 
methods  which  are  to  be  used  by  the  churches  of 
the  future  that  we  may  perfect  these  as  contribu- 
tions to  the  ultimate  efficiency  of  all  Christendom. 

If  American  churches  are  to  perform  their  mag- 
nificent duties,  to  help  perfect  ideals  of  democracy 
and  liberty  for  the  benefit  of  the  world,  to  develop 
ideal  Christians  and  an  ideal  church  which  shall  be 
object  lessons  in  all  lands,  and  to  meet  the  unprec- 
edented calls  for  foreign  mission  workers  to  enter 
the  world's  open  doors,  American  churches  must 
have  unprecedented  funds  at  their  command.  There 
should  be  an  almost  unlimited  increase  in  their  in- 
comes. 

American  Ghurohes  suffer  from  real  poverty.  As 
we  shall  see,  probably  not  over  two  or  three  per 
cent,  of  our  American  churches  secure  all  the  funds 
they  should  in  order  to  perform  their  duties  as  to 
foreign  and  home  mission  extension,  as  to  increases 
in  salaries,  as  to  social  and  educational  and  evangel- 
istic and  community  and  publicity  activities,  as  to 
improving  buildings  and  politics,  as  to  securing 
modern  plants  and  equipment. 

According  to  the  religious  census  of  1906,  in- 
vestments in  church  property  in  America  were  less 
than  one  per  cent,  of  the  national  wealth  and  the 
annual  income  of  American  churches  for  buildings, 


28  Modern  Church  Finance 

equipment,  salaries  and  all  other  purposes  equals 
scarcely  one  per  cent,  of  the  national  income.  In- 
deed the  average  ministerial  salary  was  less  than 
the  pay  of  a  New  York  City  hod  carrier. 

While  conditions  are  not  so  bad  as  they  were 
ten  years  ago,  while  vast  numbers  of  churches  have 
recently  adopted  improved  finance  methods  and 
plans  and  attend  to  all  financial  matters  with  ef- 
ficiency and  honor,  yet  in  scores  of  thousands  of 
American  parishes  of  all  denominations,  the  work 
is  ruined  or  at  least  terribly  handicapped  by  finan- 
cial mismanagement. 

Unnecessary  debts  are  crushing  the  enthusiasm 
and  throttling  the  spiritual  life  from  multitudes  of 
churches  and  narrowing  their  visions  to  their  own 
parishes.  Chronic  and  accumulated  annual  deficits 
exhaust  the  faith  of  still  larger  numbers  in  the 
church  and  drive  their  pastors  to  resignation. 

Unpaid  salary,  coal,  repair  and  other  bills  of  long 
standing  are  stumbling-blocks  to  the  thousands 
whose  rightful  money  is  withheld,  a  blasphemy 
against  the  Jehovah  of  business  integrity  who 
commanded  His  people  of  old  not  to  let  the  sun  go 
down  on  an  unpaid  creditor.  The  borrowings  and 
outstanding  bills  of  ministers  and  janitors  who  are 
unpaid  or  underpaid  bring  them  and  their  em- 
ployers into  contempt  about  town.  Ministers  are 
degraded  into  Uriah  Heeps  who  go  about  coaxing 
for  favors,  unable  to  preach  a  courageous  faith 
because  they  have  almost  lost  faith  in  God  and  His 
power  through  a  lifetime  in  which  they  have  been 


National  Wealth  and  Church  Poverty     29 

unable  either  to  pay  off  their  debts  or  to  provide 
for  old  age,  and  because  they  are  ashamed  to  hold 
up  their  heads  in  the  presence  of  their  creditors. 

The  indirect  results  of  our  poverty  are  even 
more  serious.  Frenzied  efforts  to  make  money  are 
exhausting  the  spiritual  energies  of  millions  and 
blinding  them  to  larger  visions.  Churches  become 
mere  money-making  machines.  One  church  ofScer 
declares,  "  We  are  no  longer  worshippers,  we  are 
simply  cash  getters  with  dollar  marks  instead  of 
spiritual  peace  marks  on  our  faces." 

Money-getting  methods  are  used  which  reduce 
God  and  His  churches  to  the  level  of  street  fakers 
and  persistent  begging  puts  the  Creator  of  the  uni- 
verse in  the  same  category  as  the  suppliant  for 
handouts  at  the  back  door. 


The  wealth  of  the  American  people  is  doubling, 
quadrupling,  every  so  often.  The  financial  support 
of  church  enterprises  is  advancing  at  the  rate  of  two, 
ten  and  twenty-five  per  cent.,  or  it  is  not  advancing 
at  all.  Special  pleading  is  still  the  common  method 
of  raising  church  funds.  Causes  must  cry  out  of  a 
dire  need  before  support  is  accorded.  That  cause 
which  chances  to  thrust  in  its  appeal  on  the  fairest 
Sunday,  before  the  largest  audience,  receives  the 
largest  gratuity.  Even  local  church  interests  lan- 
guish till  debt  applies  the  spur.  In  an  age  when 
money  talks,  and  might  be  made  to  speak  elo- 
quently for  the  Kingdom  of  God,  such  conditions 
are  a  deep  concern.  — J.  E,  McAfee. 


ni 

Enlarge  Your  Budget  and  Your  Church 
Efficiency 

THE  first  vital  step  in  a  finance  program  is 
the  preparation  of  a  liberal  budget.  This 
should  be  adopted  well  in  advance.  In- 
clude everything  in  it  and  avoid  special  appeals. 
Make  it  liberal  and  complete.  Go  after  a  larger 
income.  Not  one  church  in  fifty  tries  to  raise  as 
much  money  as  it  should  and  could.  The  church 
which  grows  must  expect  its  budget  to  grow  like- 
wise, and  even  faster  because  of  the  increasing 
prices. 

I.  Make  it  More  Liberal 
We  must  cease  to  mistake  systematized  parsi- 
mony for  success.  To  avoid  deficits  and  debts  by 
cutting  expenses  below  a  decent  limit  is  neither 
Scriptural  nor  businesslike.  To  skimp  as  to  ex- 
penditures which  are  essential  to  church  efficiency 
is  disgraceful  and  short-sighted.  To  compel  the 
pastor  to  pay  a  deficit  by  reducing  his  salary  below, 
or  failing  to  raise  it  to,  a  proper  standard,  is  plain 
dishonesty. 

Efficiency  means  economy,  "the  elimination  of 
waste,"  and  it  is  foolish  waste  to  spend  money  at 
all  if  the  amount  is  inadequate  to  secure  the  de- 

30 


Enlarge  Your  Budget  and  Efficiency      31 

sired  results.  Expensive  military  preparation  may 
be  more  economical  than  a  smaller  expenditure 
which  would  not  prevent  defeat.  To  add  from 
twenty  to  fifty  per  cent,  to  a  church  budget  will 
increase  the  annual  net  gain  by  from  one  hundred 
to  one  thousand  per  cent,  if  wisely  expended. 

The  budget  should  be  large  enough  to  insure 
efficient  returns.  Your  plant  cost  $15,000  or 
$100,000.  Count  five  per  cent,  interest  on  this 
investment,  and  add  five  per  cent,  for  depreciation. 
Are  you  failing  to  secure  adequate  returns  because 
you  are  using  too  low  a  budget  ?  Budget  is  more 
important  than  building. 

Wise  farmers  who  fail  to  make  ends  meet  do  not 
sell  part  of  their  equipment  nor  return  to  skimpy 
methods  and  one-horse  wagons.  They  seek  to  in- 
crease the  fertility  of  their  soil  and  the  efficiency 
of  their  management,  hoping  for  better  results  next 
year.  Successful  merchants  meet  modern  compe- 
tition, not  by  cutting  expenditures  at  every  point, 
but  by  increased  outlays  for  publicity,  for  efficient 
salesmen,  and  for  such  improvements  in  service  as 
will  enlarge  their  trade. 

Yet  the  very  farmers  and  merchants  and  bankers 
who  would  avoid  commercial  disaster  by  a  wise 
increase  of  expenditures  are  often,  strange  to  say, 
found  urging  parsimony  as  the  only  panacea  for 
church  deficits.  If,  after  a  poor  year,  such  officers 
of  the  average  church  would  seek  rather  to  dis- 
cover ways  of  making  outlays  which  would  attract 
more  members  to-day  and  insure  efficient  young 


32  Modern  Church  Finance 

workers  to-morrow,  they  would  show  more  busi- 
ness sagacity. 

Many  a  church  which  grew  rapidly  when  small 
because  the  members  had  to  give  liberally  and  so 
loved  the  church,  has  ceased  to  develop  as  the 
church  grew  larger  and  no  sacrifice  was  called  for 
because  the  larger  number  made  it  easy  to  raise 
the  budget. 

In  this  age  of  increasing  wealth,  as  we  suggested 
in  Chapter  II,  the  church  which  seeks  to  increase, 
or  even  to  maintain,  its  efficiency  in  the  face  of  the 
unprecedented  competition  from  both  secular  and 
pseudo  religious  sources  must  intelligently  ask  and 
secure  an  increasing  share  of  the  increasing  total 
income  of  its  constituency.  The  ostrich,  which 
hides  his  head  in  the  sand  when  danger  approaches, 
is  no  more  foolish  than  many  churches  which  take 
fright,  retrench  and  insure  their  decay.  Empty 
pews  are  a  terrible  waste  and  money  must  be  spent 
on  other  things  besides  ministerial  salaries  to  keep 
them  filled  in  this  modern  age.  Why  are  some 
men  liberal  as  to  buildings,  yet  unwilling  to  spend 
enough  to  secure  dividends  from  them  ? 

To  say  "  Only  strong  and  growing  churches  can 
afford  to  spend  more  liberally  "  is  to  miss  the  point. 
The  chances  are  that  such  churches  owe  their 
increasing  efficiency  largely  to  their  increased  ex- 
penditures. When  communities  are  new  and  sec- 
tarian prejudices  are  bitter,  liberal  budgets  may 
mean  little.  But  Americans  are  rapidly  becoming 
more   intelligent   and   denominational   shibboleths 


Enlarge  Your  Budget  and  Efficiency      33 

are  passing.  Other  things  being  equal,  the  church 
that  dares  to  increase  its  outlays  for  such  modern 
activities  as  attract  new  people  and  develop  the 
loyalty  and  spiritual  efficiency  of  its  present  mem- 
bers ; — "  the  church  that  gives  the  service  which 
people  demand  " — is  the  church  which  will  prosper 
at  the  cost  of  neighbor  churches.  Any  church 
which  neglects  to  meet  the  demands  of  its  con- 
stituency faces  the  sheriff's  hammer.  It  will  waste 
money  until  it  consolidates  or  federates  with  other 
churches  so  as  to  make  the  needed  outlays  de- 
manded by  modern  conditions. 

"  We  are  doing  as  well  as  our  fathers  did,  or  as 
our  neighbor  churches."  But  you  are  not  worthy 
of  respect  if  you  measure  yourselves  by  the  past  or 
by  others.     Be  leaders,  not  followers. 

Of  course,  money  is  no  insurance  of  church  suc- 
cess. Churches  with  endowments,  or  supported  by 
millionaires,  are  often  among  the  most  inefficient. 
Efficiency  demands  the  full  and  normal  develop- 
ment of  the  educational  and  missionary  and  social 
and  spiritual  ideals  of  Christianity  ;  of  a  universal 
sense  both  of  the  reality  and  nearness  of  a  right- 
eous and  omnipotent  Father  God,  of  the  brother- 
hood of  all  men  as  His  children,  and  of  Christ  as 
Lord  and  Master.  It  means  setting  all  members  to 
work  diligently  and  intelligently  at  religious  and 
social  tasks  which  will  insure  healthful  exercise  for 
their  spiritual  muscle,  and  increased  appetites  for 
and  ability  to  assimilate  spiritual  food,  as  well  as 
the  direct  advance  of  the  Kingdom. 


34  Modern  Church  Finance 

But  money  is  to  a  church  what  wheels  are  to  a 
cart  or  gasoline  to  an  auto.  Gasoline,  wheels  and 
money  will  not  insure  efficient  autos,  or  carts,  or 
churches,  but  they  are  indispensable.  Machine 
guns  and  "Big  Berthas,"  aeroplanes,  submarines 
and  other  money-bought  equipment  cannot  take 
the  place  of  competent  generals  and  ample  armies, 
but  the  European  War  vividly  demonstrates  the 
inefficiency  of  the  best  generalship  and  the  largest 
armies  if  ammunition  and  equipment  are  skimped. 

"Our  church  cannot  raise  more  money.  We 
must  cut  our  budget  according  to  our  income,  just 
as  the  tailor  must  cut  his  coat  according  to  his 
cloth."  In  the  first  place,  this  figure  is  antiquated 
and  invalid.  The  wise  tailor  will  not  waste  energy 
making  a  coat  if  the  supply  is  scanty.  He  either 
sells  the  remnant,  or  sacrifices  to  buy  more  goods. 
If  his  coats  are  skimpy,  his  customers  patronize 
other  tailors  and  bankruptcy  ensues.  So  the 
church  which  skimps  its  expenditures  will  ulti- 
mately see  much  of  its  constituency,  men  and 
women  and  boys,  divide  their  affections  with,  or 
transfer  them  all  to,  the  lodge  and  the  club,  the 
poker  game  and  the  saloon,  the  dance  hall  and  the 
political  boss,  or  to  other  churches  which  do  seek 
to  appeal  to  them  and  to  provide  for  their  social 
needs  and  relations.  The  heathen  Chinese  compel 
girls  to  bind  their  feet  so  they  may  wear  small 
shoes.  This  illustrates  economy  in  finance  as  ap- 
plied in  many  churches.  The  budget  is  kept  down 
in  accord  with  past  traditions  and  the  amount  per 


Enlarge  Your  Budget  and  Efficiency      35 

capita  may  even  be  below  what  it  was  when  mem- 
bers were  far  poorer ;  modern  needs  and  opportuni- 
ties being  entirely  ignored.  The  results  in  repressed 
church  growth  and  usefulness  are  equally  pitiful. 

A  ministerial  genius  may  attain  success  in  spite 
of  church  parsimony  but  geniuses  are  so  rare  that 
your  church  cannot  expect  one.  They  are  all 
gathered  up  by  the  churches  of  larger  opportunity 
and  salaries. 

II.  Ten  Ways  to  Enlarge  Your  Budget 
1.  Benevolences  and  missions.  Present  world 
conditions  and  the  unprecedented  missionary  op- 
portunities at  home  and  abroad ;  America's  un- 
equalled wealth  and  the  vastly  increased  responsi- 
bilities placed  on  the  shoulders  of  American 
churches  by  the  bankrupting  effects  of  the  Great 
War  upon  European  churches ;  the  liberality  of 
other  churches  of  your  denomination  no  more  able 
than  yours ;  the  fact  that  the  churches  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  denomination,  of  which  the 
average  membership  is  only  one  hundred  and  fifty, 
increased  the  annual  per  capita  gifts  to  their  be- 
nevolent and  missionary  boards,  between  1905  and 
1915,  from  $3.15  to  $6.20  (with  a  large  increase  in 
local  income),  while  the  per  capita  average  of  some 
other  (white)  Protestant  denominations  run  as  low 
as  fifty  cents  and  a  dollar : — these  and  many  sim- 
ilar arguments  clearly  prove  that  most  churches 
can  and  should  multiply  their  gifts  to  these  causes. 
As    people  gain  a  missionary  vision,   experience 


36  Modem  Church  Finance 

shows,  all  theories  to  the  contrary,  that  they  ap- 
preciate their  own  church  the  more,  and  ninety-five 
per  cent,  will  increase  their  pledges  to  it.  They 
always  do  better,  in  proportion  to  their  ability,  for 
their  church  than  do  the  anti-missionary  folks.  So 
a  missionary  advance  is  desirable  from  the  stand- 
point of  church  support. 

Every  church  worthy  the  name  Christian  "will 
annually  endeavor,  by  the  most  effective  possible 
means,  largely  to  increase  its  contributions  for  the 
great  Kingdom  work,  missionary  and  educational, 
which  its  body  is  doing  through  its  boards  and  com- 
mittees. These  obligations  are  more  fully  discussed 
in  Chapter  XYII  and  board  secretaries  are  present- 
ing them  most  effectively.  Of  course  the  benevolent 
budget  should  be  entirely  distinct  from  the  church 
support  budget  including  the  following  items. 

2.  Beligious  education.  Even  a  slight  appre- 
ciation of  the  vast  importance  of  religious  educa- 
tion in  the  efficient  modern  church  will  compel 
every  intelligent  churchman  to  insist  on  a  large 
increase  in  the  expenditures  of  the  Sabbath-school 
and  the  Young  People's  societies,  which  are  our 
modern  evangelistic  agencies  and  our  recruiting 
stations  and  West  Points  from  which  we  shall 
secure  efficient  officers  and  soldiers  for  Christ  and 
the  church.  Otherwise,  we  can  hope  neither  to 
make  our  Sunday-schools  as  attractive  as  day- 
schools,  nor  to  gain  and  hold  our  boys  and  girls  for 
Christ,  nor  to  develop  the  needed  efficient  workers 
for  the  church  of  to-morrow. 


Enlarge  Your  Budget  and  Efficiency      37 

The  average  church,  rural  and  city,  should  in- 
crease, from  twenty-five  to  two  hundred  per  cent., 
the  annual  expenditures  for  high  grade  maps, 
charts,  Sunday-school  lesson  helps  and  papers, 
teachers'  libraries,  stereopticon  and  slides,  equip- 
ment for  all  kinds  of  work  from  a  better  card  index 
to  a  follow-up  system ;  and  for  annually  sending 
several  promising  Sunday-school  teachers  and  some 
leaders  of  the  Young  People's  societies  to  denomi- 
national and  interdenominational  conventions  and 
summer  institutes  where  they  may  be  more  ade- 
quately prepared  for  present  service  and  for  future 
church  leadership.  Make  a  liberal  allowance  to 
the  Sunday-school  and  secure  liberal  duplex  pledges 
from  every  child  in  it,  even  from  those  whose 
parents  do  not  attend  and  who  will  subscribe  hand- 
somely when  shown  that  the  Sabbath-school  has 
been  dependent  on  the  church  for  heat  and  light, 
rent  of  building,  janitor  service,  etc.  The  church 
support  will  benefit  largely. 

Besides,  the  educational  efiiciency  of  the  church 
itself  should  be  largely  increased  by  distribution  of 
free  literature  and  a  free  subscription  to  a  church 
paper  for  each  family,  by  a  loan  library  of  books 
on  missions,  prayer,  parent  and  teacher  training, 
etc.,  and  by  an  annual  Bible  Institute. 

3.  Publicity  committee  activities.  In  a  rural 
church  this  may  mean  the  purchase  of  a  $5.00  du- 
plicator by  which  advertising  matter  may  be  pre- 
pared and  follow-up  letters  sent  to  families  of  the 
church  and  to  prospects,  to  absentee  members,  etc., 


38  Modern  Church  Finance 

with  allowances  for  postage,  for  posters,  for  a  printed 
annual  or  triennial  manual,  for  the  distribution  to 
every  home  and  public  place  of  an  annual  calendar 
bearing  attractive  cuts  of  church  and  minister,  etc. 

For  the  large  town  or  city  church  it  will  mean 
an  annual  budget  of  from  $500  to  $10,000  for 
newspaper  advertisements,  window  cards,  preparing 
and  mailing  thousands  of  circular  letters  each  week 
or  month  to  large  lists  of  prospects  and  to  member 
families,  circulars  in  mail  boxes,  a  weekly  bulletin, 
a  monthly  magazine  such  as  Fleming  H.  Kevell 
Company  furnish  to  churches  at  a  low  cost  with 
the  church  name  on  it,  an  annual  directory  with 
committee  and  department  reports,  etc.  Such  ex- 
penditures to  be  distributed  evenly  through  the 
year  or  to  be  made  largely  in  connection  with  the 
Autumn  Rally,  the  Summer  Home  Coming,  the 
Midwinter  Devotional,  the  Lenten  Evangelistic  and 
other  special  features  or  special  campaigns.  This 
committee  must  have  ample  funds  if  it  is  to  do  its 
share  to  help  fill  empty  pews  and  increase  member- 
ship. In  many  churches  a  moving  picture  ma- 
chine, with  a  selected  single  reel  at  the  opening  of 
the  Sunday  night  service,  attracts  greatly  increased 
audiences.  If  used  on  week  nights  it  may  crowd 
out  the  cheap  immoral  films.  Educational  and 
missionary  and  religious  films  are  now  available. 
The  extra  collections  often  meet  the  expense. 

^.  Social  activities.  The  church  social  commit- 
•tee  must  have  a  liberal  budget  to  use  both  in  its 
ministry  to  the  membership  and  in  its  cooperation 


Enlarge  Your  Budget  and  Efficiency      39 

with  the  evangelistic,  educational,  publicity,  visita- 
tion and  devotional  committees.  By  eating  daily 
with  His  church  of  twelve  disciples,  and  by  preach- 
ing many  of  His  greatest  sermons  at  feasts,  Christ 
clearly  teaches  the  great  value  of  social  fellowship 
at  simple  meals  as  soil  for  developing  unity  and 
spiritual  growth.  Sociability  is  no  substitute  for 
spirituality  but  it  is  an  essential  foundation  for  it. 
One  congregation,  which  includes  in  its  annual 
budget  "  $800  for  the  social  fellowship  committee," 
spends  part  of  this  on  four  outstanding  and  wisely 
managed  attractive  annual  functions,  with  enter- 
tainment and  refreshment  features,  free  to  all  ages 
and  sexes  in  the  church  and  community,  including 
a  New  Year's  reception,  a  "  congregational  meet- 
ing "  dinner  served  by  a  caterer,  a  summer  picnic, 
and  an  autumn  rally  or  home-coming  festival  on  a 
Saturday  with  a  roll  call  on  Sunday  morning  fol- 
lowed by  a  basket  picnic  in  the  style  of  sixty  years 
ago,  and  by  an  afternoon  fellowship  service  with 
addresses  by  former  members,  and  by  a  free  enter- 
tainment and  supper  on  Monday  night.  Part  is 
used  to  subsidize  the  social  activities  of  the  Sunday- 
school  classes  and  church  departments  in  many 
ways,  to  entertain  new  members  and  the  catechet- 
ical classes,  etc.  It  reports,  "  The  increased  enthu- 
siasm, attendance  and  membership  brought  a  full 
financial  return  during  the  year  while  the  perma- 
nent results  are  of  incalculable  value."  Such  social 
functions  may  be  simple  but  they  should  be  free — 
and  social,  not  financial. 


40  Modern  Church  Finance 

5.  The  finance  committee  must  have  funds  to 
print  quarterly  and  annual  statements  and  reports 
and  to  mail  them  to  every  member  ;  to  secure  the 
best  of  envelopes  and  of  record  systems ;  and  to 
pay  a  salary  to  the  bookkeeper  or  financial  secre- 
tary, just  as  to  the  janitor  or  choir  leader,  so  that 
promptness  and  efficiency  can  be  required,  unless 
the  pastor's  assistant  does  this  work.  Frequently, 
by  spending  a  little  to  employ  a  finance  expert, 
from  ten  to  thirty  times  the  expense  will  be  added 
to  the  permanent  pledged  income  of  the  church. 

6.  Social  and  com^munity  service  activities. 
The  physical  and  recreational  and  economic  wel- 
fare of  the  members  and  of  the  community  should 
be  fostered,  unless  other  agencies  meet  all  the 
needs.  In  the  rural  church  this  may  mean  renting 
an  athletic  field,  purchasing  baseball  or  croquet  or 
tennis  equipment,  subsidizing  dramatics  or  pageants 
and  other  community  features,  employing  lecturers 
from  the  agricultural  college,  and  the  equipment  of 
a  kitchen  and  social  rooms.  In  a  town  or  city 
parish  it  may  mean  a  rest  room  for  country  folks ; 
a  basement  gymnasium  and  game  rooms  ;  reading 
and  club  rooms ;  or  the  establishment  of  a  large 
parish  social  work  including  every  sort  of  activity 
needed  by  the  community,  such  as  a  day  nursery 
or  kindergarten,  sewing  and  carpentry  classes,  a 
visiting  nurse,  an  employment  bureau,  an  eye  dis- 
pensary, shower  baths,  aid  for  the  worthy  poor,  a 
summer  camp,  etc.,  at  an  annual  cost  of  from  $500 
to  $25,000. 


Enlarge  Your  Budget  and  Efficiency      41 

7.  The  salary  of  the  minister.  To  increase  your 
pastor's  salary  to  at  least  $1,200  and  a  house  in 
the  poorer  city  sections  and  in  the  country,  is  a 
duty  both  to  your  minister  and  to  your  church.  In 
a  town  or  city  church  the  salary  should  be  enlarged 
in  keeping  with  the  special  expenditures  required 
by  the  constituency  and  by  the  minister's  situation. 
While  the  pastor  should  not  expect  to  save  a  great 
deal  or  to  have  all  the  frills  and  trimmings  of  life, 
he  should  be  able  to  carry  adequate  life  insurance  ; 
to  provide  food  and  clothing  and  furnishings  for 
his  home  in  accord  with  the  general  demands  of 
his  constituency ;  to  meet  his  special  expense  for 
clothing ;  to  pay  his  expenses  to  denominational 
meetings  and  conventions  and  conferences  and  to 
Chautauqua  or  Winona  Assembly  or  to  some 
equally  helpful  conference  for  a  two  weeks'  annual 
"  freshening  up  " ;  to  avoid  wasting  time  waiting 
for  street-cars  or  walking  between  calls  by  keeping 
up  an  auto  ;  to  pay  his  tithe  to  the  church  and  its 
benevolences  ;  to  use  a  second  tithe  in  meeting  the 
multiplied  calls  upon  him  from  the  poor  of  his 
parish  and  elsewhere,  for  unfortunate  relatives,  for 
temperance  and  reform  agencies,  for  college  and 
seminary  and  hospital  and  orphanage  and  other 
semi-religious  and  philanthropic  agencies  which  he 
must  help  because  of  his  official  or  sentimental  re- 
lationships and  because  of  the  insistence  of  their 
appeals.     (See  Chapter  lY.) 

Many  churches  now  make  a  definite  allowance, 
in  addition  to  the  pastor's  salary,  of  from  $200  to 


42  Modern  Church  Finance 

$1,000  per  year  for  "  equipment,  books  and  tools, 
travel  and  incidental  expenses,  and  for  the  up-keep 
of  the  needed  horse  and  buggy  or  auto."  Cer- 
tainly the  "  expenses  of  the  business  "  should  be 
added  to  the  salary,  and  just  as  certainly  the  min- 
ister should  have  a  fund  of  say  five  per  cent,  of  the 
church  budget  which  he  can  spend  to  meet  special 
items  without  having  to  consult  the  officers. 

8.  Assistance  for  the  minister.  Every  church 
could  most  profitably  employ  a  student  or  a  woman 
during  the  summer  to  work  among  the  young  peo- 
ple, to  develop  daily  vacation  Bible  Schools  (such 
as  are  meeting  with  wonderful  success  among  rich 
and  poor,  both  in  country  and  city),  and  to  preach 
at  a  mission  or  in  needy  districts  in  town  or 
country. 

Every  strong  church,  with  over  three  or  four 
hundred  members,  should  employ  an  assistant  for 
part  time,  and  if  wealthy,  or  if  over  five  hundred 
members,  for  full  time. 

A  church  closed  for  six  days  a  week  is  a  sad 
source  of  waste.  An  assistant  is  needed  if  it  is  to 
be  kept  open  evenings,  and  proper  social  oversight 
and  physical  education  given  to  the  boys  and  girls. 

When  the  "  simple  life  "  prevailed,  when  each 
church  had  a  membership  of  only  fifty  or  seventy- 
five,  with  officers  who  visited  each  family  in  the 
parish  quarterly,  no  paid  assistant  was  needed. 
But  the  pastor  of  to-day  must  get  acquainted  each 
year  with  more  faces  and  names  and  receive  more 
members  than  did  his  grandfather  in  ten  years ; 


Enlarge  Your  Budget  and  Efficiency      43 

must  compete  with  the  publicity  power  of  many 
lodges  and  clubs  and  "  movies "  ;  must  direct  a 
dozen  organizations  inside  his  church ;  must  keep 
in  touch  with  scores  of  civic  and  social  and  economic 
interests  outside  in  order  to  understand  his  people 
as  his  grandfather-preacher  did ;  and  must  prepare 
two  weekly  sermons  while  a  hundred  other  matters 
claim  his  attention.  He  clearly  cannot  do  all  these 
things  as  they  should  be  done  and  keep  everybody 
properly  working.  He  must  have  an  assistant  to 
attend  to  correspondence  and  to  keep  the  church 
and  Sunday-school  card  indexes  up  to  date  each 
week ;  to  help  look  after  the  boys  and  girls  and 
manage  the  visitation  and  educational  programs ; 
to  operate  the  multigraph  and  addressograph  es- 
sential to  proper  educational  and  publicity  activity, 
to  send  out  financial  statements  and  follow-up 
letters. 

It  is  real  extravagance  to  allow  a  pastor  to  use 
his  time,  which  should  be  devoted  to  sermon  and 
other  work  that  no  one  else  can  undertake,  for 
detail  work  which  some  young  woman  would  do 
just  as  effectively  for  twenty-five  cents  an  hour. 
The  efficient  up-to-date  pastor  will  always  be  able 
to  find  enough  work  to  keep  himself  and  an  as- 
sistant profitably  busy.  Many  large  churches  em- 
ploy, for  full  or  part  time,  staffs  of  from  four  to 
twenty-five  workers,  including  an  educational 
expert,  a  financial  secretary,  a  visiting  nurse,  a 
boys'  work  director,  a  physical  director,  etc.  No 
wonder  they  grow  large  and  efficient.     Such  spe- 


44  Modern  Church  Finance 

cialization  always  means  increased  efficiency  as 
compared  with  the  minister  who  is  a  "  jack  of  all 
trades." 

9.  Miscellaneous  items.  If  your  church  leaders 
are  aggressive  and  up-to-date,  they  will  provide  for 
many  special  items  in  the  budget,  such  for  example 
as  employing  competent  specialists  for  an  annual 
Bible  institute  ;  for  increasing  church  efficiency  as 
to  attendance,  boys'  work,  teacher  training,  or 
Young  People's  work,  and  for  courses  of  lectures 
calculated  to  deepen  the  spiritual  life  ;  for  develop- 
ing one  or  two  branch  schools  or  missions ;  for 
meeting  the  expenses  of  the  delegates  of  the  church 
to  the  district  meetings  and  for  the  denominational 
tax ;  for  purchasing  new  hymn-books  ;  for  employ- 
ing some  one  who  can  develop  a  successful  young 
people's  or  children's  chorus  choir  for  the  sake  of 
the  social  and  devotional  life ;  for  contingent  ex- 
penses of  the  various  church  committees  ;  for  paint 
and  improvements  and  repairs ;  for  new  sidewalks 
or  improved  lighting  or  increased  fire  insurance; 
for  a  high  grade  annual  manual  with  reports  of  all 
departments ;  for  a  card  index,  multigraph,  ad- 
dressograph,  telephone  and  other  office  equipment ; 
for  a  moving  picture  machine  or  stereopticon  and 
its  operation ;  for  an  auto  for  the  pastor  to  use ; 
for  a  social  survey  or  for  social  equipment ;  for 
special  adult  Bible  class  work,  etc.  Especially 
should  a  church  employ,  alone  or  associated  with 
other  churches,  such  experts  as  will  help  to  greatly 
increased  efficiency. 


Enlarge  Your  Budget  and  Efficiency      45 

10.  Debts  and  buildings.  If  you  are  in  debt, 
add  from  G.ye  to  twenty-five  per  cent,  of  the  debt, 
as  well  as  the  interest,  to  your  annual  budget  and 
avoid  a  special  appeal.  If  not  in  debt,  your  church 
probably  needs  painting,  decorating,  furnace,  side- 
walk, a  better  auditorium,  a  parish  house,  a  more 
modern  Sunday-school  plant,  a  manse  or  a  new 
organ.  If  so,  begin  to  gather  a  fund  for  meeting 
such  needs  by  increasing  your  income.  Every 
church  should  be  seeking  to  thus  increase  the  ef- 
ficiency of  its  plant  as  it  grows. 

III.  Can  These  Things  Be  Possible? 
The  average  up-to-date  church  of  wealthy  folks 
should  raise  from  $40  to  $100  per  member  for  all 
purposes.  The  middle  class  church  in  town  or 
suburb  or  country  can  raise  from  $20  to  $50  a 
member.  The  Presbyterian  church  raises  over  $13 
per  year  per  member  for  church  support  alone. 
The  possibilities  are  revealed  by  the  churches  of 
the  United  Presbyterian  denomination,  mostly 
small  town  and  country  churches,  which  even 
counting  children  average  over  $20.90  per  member 
for  all  purposes  including  over  $14.50  for  local 
church  expenses  alone.  Of  course  its  people  are 
quite  loyal  and  intelligent  and  they  hope  to  attain 
to  a  denominational  average  of  $30  per  capita.  In 
Iowa,  without  a  single  church  of  five  hundred  mem- 
bers, with  an  average  of  only  about  one  hundred 
members  in  each  church,  they  averaged  over  $30 
per  member  in  1914.     Some  of  their  churches  in 


46  Modern  Church  Finance 

Iowa  gave  over  $40  per  member  for  church  support 
and  benevolences,  not  including  building  or  debt 
funds.  The  "  Covenanter  "  Churches  of  America 
average  over  $26  per  capita  annually  ;  $10.50  for 
benevolences  and  $15.50  for  church  support. 

The  need  defends  on  the  community.  A  rural 
church,  where  the  simple  life  is  possible  for  the 
pastor  and  competition  is  slight,  can  do  an  effective 
work  with  from  $1,500  to  $2,500  a  year.  In  the 
down-town  sections  of  our  largest  cities,  a  church 
which  would  employ  the  needed  staff  of  workers, 
keep  the  building  open  for  several  meetings  daily, 
compete  in  music,  publicity  and  social  life  with  the 
theatres  and  dance  halls  and  operas,  and  fill  its 
pews  regularly,  needs  from  $15,000  to  $50,000  a 
year. 

The  following  budget  of  $20  per  member  raised 
by  a  middle  class  church  of  eight  hundred  members 
in  a  city  of  18,000  will  prove  suggestive  : 

Pastor's  salary $3,000 

Salary  of  educational  director  and  secre- 
tary     1,200 

Support  of  parish  house  with  part  time  of 

physical  and  social  director       -        -  1,500 

Paving  assessment  and  debt  reduction     -  2,000 
Bepairs  and  improvements  to  church  and 

manse 1,100 

Janitor 840 

Water,  heat,  light,  etc.     -        -        -        -  700 

Insurance,  interest,  taxes  and  legal  advice  480 
Publicity,  office  supplies,  postage,  weekly 

bulletin,  monthly  paper,  manual,  etc.  700 


Enlarge  Your  Budget  and  Efficiency      47 

Sabbath -school  equipment  and  supplies  -  600 

Social  functions  free  to  the  congregation  -  600 

Organist,  choir  and  music        -        -        -  1,800 

Contingent  and  miscellaneous  -        -        -  1,000 

A  country  church  with  one  hundred  and  fifty 
members,  besides  giving  over  ;^2,000  to  benevo- 
lences, raised  this  budget  of  ^2,350  : 

Salary  of  pastor 1^1,400 

Books,  supplies,  etc.,  for  pastor       -        -  200 
Half  expense  of  auto  upkeep  for  pastor  -  100 
Heat,  light,  repairs,  insurance,  sexton,  etc.  500 
For  expenses  of  delegates  to  church  meet- 
ings, conventions  and  conferences     -  150 

Is  your  church  already  ahead  of  other  churches 
in  the  community  as  to  salaries  and  budgets  ? 
Remember  that  high  grade  churches  do  not  meas- 
ure themselves  by  what  others  are  doing  or  by 
their  own  past,  but  by  what  justice  and  efficiency 
demand.  Successful  merchants  and  farmers  and 
factory  owners  do  not  content  themselves  with 
doing  better  than  they  did  twenty  years  ago,  or 
with  comparing  favorably  with  some  inefficient, 
miserly,  antiquated  competitor.  They  set  their 
goal  at  the  largest  and  best  they  can  do,  getting 
ready  to  meet  future  conditions. 

ly.    How  Can  These  Things  Be  Done  ? 

The  chapter  on  essentials  gives  the  steps  to  suc- 
cess but  a  larger  budget  will  be  a  great  help  to 
securing    a    larger  income.     One  church   with  a 


48  Modern  Church  Finance 

budget  of  $8,000  a  year  had  hard  work  to  make 
ends  meet.  Its  pledges  never  exceeded  $6,000, 
compelling  it  to  raise  from  $2,000  to  $3,000  of  a 
deficit.  It  added  $2,000  to  its  budget  for  pubhcity 
and  social  purposes,  a  secretary,  and  for  such  other 
wise  expenditures  as  would  bring  the  largest  re- 
turns. Because  of  the  increased  membership  and 
attendance  and  enthusiasm  which  resulted,  many 
doubled  and  some  trebled  their  pledges. 

"  To  get  money  you  must  spend  money  "  holds 
good  for  churches  as  well  as  merchants.  A  Phil- 
adelphia church,  with  an  average  attendance  of 
thirty  or  fifty  and  a  terrible  deficit,  spent  $1,000 
on  efficient  publicity.  It  added  one  thousand  per 
cent,  to  its  attendance  and  doubled  its  income. 

A  country  church  which  had  been  starving  its 
minister  and  his  library  on  a  $1,000  salary,  and 
allowing  its  property  to  depreciate,  decided  to  in- 
crease the  minister's  salary  $300  and  to  ask  $200 
for  improvements.  With  the  same  minister  it 
raised  the  $1,500  easier  than  it  had  raised  $1,000 
before. 

Church  members  of  to-day  want  service  and 
quality  and  results  just  as  truly  as  do  the  patrons 
and  stockholders  of  department  stores  and  rail- 
roads, and  they  can  be  induced  to  pay  the  price 
when  they  receive  the  service  which  they  want,  or 
see  the  results  which  they  desire. 

People  want  to  be  proud  of  their  churches  as  well 
as  of  their  homes  and  children  and  horses.  "When 
properly  trained  they  are  willing  to  do  their  share 


Enlarge  Your  Budget  and  Efficiency     49 

if  they  receive  their  money's  worth  and  know  they 
are  not  being  asked  to  pay  the  share  of  the  other 
fellow. 

To  secure  large  results,  ask  large  things.  To 
ask  a  five  or  ten  per  cent,  increase  in  pledges  all 
around  does  not  appeal  to  folks  ;  each  fellow  says, 
*'  Let  George  do  it,"  and  a  decrease  will  probably 
occur.  But  to  undertake  to  enlarge  the  social  and 
other  expenditures  to  the  utmost  can  be  made  to 
challenge  the  increased  zeal  and  enthusiasm  which 
beget  large  things.  Only  those  who  "  attempt  great 
things  for  God  "  and  His  church  may  "  expect  great 
things  from  God."  The  writer  has  helped  hun- 
dreds of  churches  to  do  the  "  impossible  "  by  per- 
manently increasing  the  income  by  thousands  of 
dollars,  with  every  one  happy  and  the  church  ef- 
ficiency multiplied,  and  speaks  from  experience 
instead  of  theory. 

For  samples  of  budgets  see  Chapter  YII. 


IV 

Enlarge  the  Minister's  Salary 

THE  central  need  of  the  American  church 
is  "  a  good  minister."  "  If  our  church 
is  to  succeed,  we  must  have  a  popular 
preacher,  a  faithful  pastor,  a  good  leader  and  a 
fine  mixer,"  is  the  assertion  on  every  side.  Such 
paragons  do  not  grow  on  every  bush  but  must  be 
developed  and  conserved  by  large  expenditures  for 
education,  books  and  other  equipment,  by  travel 
and  leisure,  by  freedom  and  comfort.  A  debt- 
ridden  man  cannot  be  an  optimist.  Worry  over 
making  ends  meet  will  not  develop  smiles  and  will 
crush  the  imagination  needed  for  preaching.  With- 
out an  expensive  education  and  two  hundred  dollars 
a  year  to  spend  on  books  as  up-to-date  as  women's 
hats  and  as  new  and  fresh  as  the  groceries  of  his 
parishioners,  he  can  neither  be  a  bright  nor  a 
popular  preacher.  Paul  was  efficient  but  he  was 
born  prosperous  and  did  not  have  to  go  in  debt  for 
higher  education  and  travel,  or  to  furnish  a  home. 
The  average  pastor  can  no  more  emulate  Paul 
than  the  average  telegrapher  can  emulate  Andrew 
Carnegie. 

To  say  "  The  efficient  minister  must  come  before 
we  can  raise  his  salary  "  is  as  foolish  as  to  say,  "  If 

60 


Enlarge  the  Minister's  Salary  51 

our  starved  horse  will  do  more  work,  we  will  feed 
him  better."  Even  when  a  young  minister  is 
efficient,  his  officers  keep  his  salary  to  the  lowest 
possible  standard  and  he  is  compelled  to  seek  a  new 
field  in  order  to  get  additional  food  for  his  chil- 
dren's mouths. 

Multitudes  of  brilliant  young  ministers  of  great 
promise  have  been  doomed  to  mediocre  lives  be- 
cause their  salaries  were  utterly  inadequate. 
Starved  for  books  and  ideas,  their  congregations 
starved  and  deteriorated.  Crushed  by  debt,  there 
was  no  juice  of  courage  or  joy  left  for  their  work. 
In  nine  cases  out  of  ten  the  minister  who  attains  to 
large  success  had  an  income  above  the  average  for 
his  denomination  during  the  first  five  years  of  his 
ministry,  so  as  to  develop  himself.  If  a  few 
geniuses  succeed  in  spite  of  poverty,  that  does  not 
help  the  average  man  who  needs  the  equipment 
as  a  substitute  for  genius,  and  is  doomed  without 
it.  The  utterly  inadequate  support  given  the  aver- 
age Protestant  minister  is  a  primary  cause  of  his 
inefficiency  and  a  curse  to  the  church.  The  deaden- 
ing results  cannot  be  overestimated. 

If  "  he  that  provideth  not  for  his  own  is  worse 
than  an  infidel  and  hath  denied  the  faith,"  then  the 
pastor  who  meekly  remains  without  protest  as  pas- 
tor of  a  "  worse  than  an  infidel "  church  which 
provideth  not  for  its  own  pastor  and  his  family 
according  to  its  ability  is  himself  worse  than  an 
infidel  in  abetting  the  infidelity  of  his  church  and 
neglecting  to  seek  a  place  where  his  family  will 


52  Modern  Church  Finance 

have  justice.  It  is  his  duty  to  seek  and  accept 
such  an  income  as  is  adequate  if  he  is  a  Christian, 
just  as  it  is  of  the  church  to  give  it.  The  scarcity 
of  competent  ministers  is  one  way  by  which  God  is 
compelling  the  churches  to  make  more  adequate 
provision  for  those  who  are  competent.  Unless 
God  can  bless  dishonesty  or  infidelity,  we  must 
expect  that  a  curse  will  rest  on  the  churches  that 
"  muzzle  the  ox  which  treadeth  out  the  corn,"  that 
fail  to  honor  and  provide  for  those  who  are, 
humanly  speaking,  the  "  fathers  of  their  souls,"  as 
children  should  honor  parents.  The  cry  that  "  we 
cannot  get  good  ministers  "  is  usually  because  the 
stinginess  of  the  church  is  such  that  it  would  starve 
and  handicap  a  good  minister  if  it  got  him,  and  it 
may  have  already  done  that  to  its  present  pastor. 

In  Chapter  III  we  suggest  some  principles 
which  demand  larger  ministerial  salaries.  Others 
need  emphasis  here.  In  fixing  the  salaries  of  their 
employees,  Tvise  and  successful  Christian  business 
men  consider  certain  points  which  wise  church  of- 
ficers must  everywhere  consider  in  fixing  the  min- 
ister's salary,  if  they  are  to  be  both  Christian  and 
businesslike. 

Consider  the  hours  of  service.  Labor  leaders 
insist  and  employers  agree  that  exhausting  labor 
shall  receive  special  wages,  and  that  an  eight-hour 
day  shall  prevail,  with  higher  pay  for  overtime. 
Ministers'  work  is  brain  work,  which  is  undoubtedly 
more  exhausting  than  physical  labor.  They  suffer 
more  breakdowns  from  overwork  than  any  other 


Enlarge  the  Minister's  Salary  53 

profession.  No  minister  can  confine  his  labors  to 
union  hours.  His  telephone  begins  to  ring  or  his 
door-bell  jingles  before  breakfast  and  he  is  con- 
tinuously working  or  thinking  until  the  last  meet- 
ing closes,  until  the  last  call  is  made  on  a  home 
where  the  husband  is  absent  by  day  or  where 
death  has  come,  anywhere  before  midnight. 

The  passenger  conductors  on  many  railroads 
receive  an  average  of  about  $1,500  per  year,  yet 
they  are  paid  while  learning  the  business  and  min- 
isters are  not.  Were  the  average  minister  paid  on 
the  same  basis  for  regular  work,  with  extra  pay  for 
overtime  during  the  week  and  on  Sundays,  his 
salary  would  be  doubled. 

The  character  of  the  work.  Executive  tasks 
require  a  broad  outlook  and  freedom  from  petty 
and  exhausting  personal  worries.  Efficient  literary 
activity  requires  comfort  and  freedom  from  pov- 
erty. Efficient  authors  and  bankers  and  leaders  in 
other  classes  seek  to  broaden  their  outlook  and 
increase  their  mental  reserves  and  resilience  by 
travel  and  diversions  made  possible  by  larger  in- 
comes. Even  labor  unions  and  socialist  clubs  pay 
their  organizers  and  representatives  from  fifty  to 
two  hundred  per  cent,  more  than  their  fellows  in 
the  ranks  receive.  The  minister,  who  is  expected 
to  develop  the  unusual  and  invaluable  combination 
of  executive  and  literary  ability,  to  be  also  an  orator 
and  a  salesman,  certainly  must  have  the  same  ad- 
vantages of  enlarged  income  if  he  is  expected  to 
approach   them    in  efficient  development  of    his 


54  Modern  Church  Finance 

powers.  A  great  manufacturer,  promoting  a  sub- 
ordinate to  be  manager,  explained  an  increase  of 
salary  from  $4,000' to  $12,000  a  year  by  saying 
"  the  work  is  so  important  that  a  slight  difference 
in  efficiency  means  thousands  of  dollars.  The 
$8,000  increase  will  add  $80,000  to  our  dividends 
by  freeing  him  from  every  care  and  stimulating  his 
larger  optimism.  The  church  will  profit  in  like 
proportion  by  paying  its  pastors  larger  salaries.  It 
is  not  charity  but  wisdom  to  feed  ministers  and 
cows  liberally. 

The  tools  and  special  expenses  required.  Addi- 
tional allowances  are  paid  to  the  mechanic  who 
must  buy  costly  tools  and  the  salesman  who  must 
entertain  his  customers  at  dinner  and  tip  the  waiter. 
The  minister's  income  should  be  enlarged  to  permit 
him  to  secure  from  $200  to  $300  worth  of  up-to- 
date  books  and  tools  annually,  to  attend  summer 
Chautauquas  and  institutes  and  conferences  which 
will  broaden  his  outlook  and  keep  him  young,  to 
meet  the  expense  of  travel  in  behalf  of  the  church, 
to  make  gifts  of  books  and  souvenirs  to  the  children 
and  others  of  the  parish,  to  entertain  his  officers 
and  visiting  speakers  in  his  home,  to  keep  up  horse 
and  buggy  if  they  are  needed,  etc. 

Many  intelligent  churches  now  provide  in  their 
budget,  aside  from  the  salary,  for  from  $200  to 
$500  per  year  for  "  the  pastor's  library  and  equip- 
ment and  special  parish  expenses."  One  large 
religious  body  recommends  that  "  where  a  horse 
and  buggy  or  auto  is  necessary  to  the  minister's 


Enlarge  the  Minister's  Salary  55 

largest  efficiency,  the  congregation  should  allow  at 
least  $200  or  $300  per  year  for  expenses  and  de- 
preciation." 

Living  conditions.  No  other  employee  is  re- 
quired to  marry  and  support  a  family.  Laymen 
may  wait  till  they  have  accumulated  a  surplus,  but 
churches  demand  that  their  pastors  shall  marry  as 
soon  as  they  are  ordained,  while  heavily  in  debt 
for  education.  Other  men  need  not  entertain  but 
young  ministers  must.  They  are  also  required  to 
purchase  good  furnishings  for  the  manse  and  good 
clothes  for  themselves  beyond  their  personal  desires 
"  because  it  is  good  publicity  for  the  church.  It 
hurts  our  income  if  the  parson  is  seedy."  Besides, 
the  minister  can  seldom  settle  near  home,  he  and 
his  wife  can  visit  their  "  folks  "  only  at  great  ex- 
pense, cannot  "  stay  with  the  old  folks  till  they  get 
ahead,"  cannot  get  a  basket  of  provisions  or  a  good 
dinner  from  father's  kitchen  in  a  pinch,  have  not 
the  daily  aid  of  home  folks  when  sickness  or  trouble 
comes.  Many  churches  add  at  least  $200  per  year 
to  the  annual  salary  on  these  counts. 

The  value  of  the  material  and  products  with 
which  he  works.  Watchmakers  and  diamond  cut- 
ters are  better  paid  than  brick  makers  and  fodder 
cutters.  Ministers  deal  with  souls  and  characters 
which  are  immortal  and  infinitely  more  valuable. 
Drivers  of  railway  engines  and  autos  receive  higher 
pay  than  plowmen  and  draymen,  yet  ministers  deal 
with  hearts,  which  are  infinitely  more  delicate  and 
costly,  and  are  engineers  of  spiritual  and  social  in- 


56  Modern  Church  Finance 

terests  whose  wrecks  would  be  a  thousandfold 
more  serious. 

Earning  j)eriod.  The  minister's  economic  life  is 
short.  On  the  average,  he  enters  his  profession  at 
about  twenty-seven  and  is  "  kicked  out "  at  about 
fifty-seven.  Because  he  must  be  an  executive,  he 
must  not  be  too  young.  Because  he  must  reach 
the  young  and  must  work  so  hard,  and  because 
such  responsibilities,  overtime  work  and  book  star- 
vation age  him  rapidly,  he  must  not  be  too  old. 
The  antagonism  of  a  rich  sinner  to  whom  he  re- 
fuses to  bow  may  cut  his  professional  throat  at 
forty.  Professional  men  find  the  average  income 
doubles  between  forty  and  sixty,  and  their  services 
are  yet  very  valuable  at  seventy.  Though  the 
average  minister  of  seventy  is  still  worth  much, 
despite  his  poverty,  he  seldom  gets  a  chance  to  earn 
ten  dollars  a  week  by  supplying  some  small  church 
which  cannot  find  a  younger  man. 

His  economic  value  to  society.  Inventors  and 
promoters,  railway  presidents  and  bankers  are  well 
paid  because  their  work  has  such  economic  value. 
Ministers,  by  their  influence  in  advancing  industry 
and  intelligence,  honesty  and  justice,  thrift  and 
sobriety,  render  services  as  great  as  those  of  all 
other  professions  combined  in  reducing  the  taxes 
caused  by  crime  and  poverty,  ignorance  and  sin. 

The  cost  of  preparation  and  the  hope  of  ultimate 
inconie.  An  attorney  found  that  among  his  college 
friends  of  twenty-five  years  before,  the  average 
minister    received    $1,800  per  year,  the  average 


Enlarge  the  Minister's  Salary  57 

physician,  $3,800,  and  the  average  lawyer,  ^7,Y00  ; 
though  in  college  days  the  ministers  had  carried  off 
a  larger  proportion  of  honors,  both  socially,  intel- 
lectually and  in  athletics. 

Ten  years  after  their  graduation  from  Princeton, 
the  alumni  of  one  class  showed  an  average  salary 
approximately  of  ^^1,700  for  the  ministers,  of  ;^2,Y00 
for  the  physicians,  and  of  ;^4:,200  for  business  men 
and  lawyers.  Another  investigation  shows  that 
between  the  ages  of  thirty  and  forty  the  salary  of 
the  average  minister  increases  forty-six  per  cent., 
while  that  of  physicians  increases  one  hundred 
and  sixty  per  cent,  and  of  attorneys  two  hundred 
and  forty  per  cent. 

Here  is  a  striking  statement  of  fact  by  a  prosper- 
ous farmer.  "  My  twin  brother  was  a  better  stu- 
dent than  I  and  helped  me  as  a  boy  with  lessons 
and  deals.  At  seventeen  he  decided  to  be  a  minis- 
ter and  I  to  be  a  farmer.  I  shall  tell  his  experience 
first,  then  mine. 

"  He  began  to  work  his  way  through  school  and 
Avas  most  diligent  and  economical.  He  graduated 
at  twenty-seven,  having  spent  ten  years  in  academy, 
college  and  seminary  at  a  cost  of  over  ^3,000,  of 
which  he  earned  ;^1,500  and  borrowed  ;^1,500.  He 
always  stood  well  in  his  work.  In  his  first  field, 
among  farmers,  he  received  ^900  a  year.  He  re- 
vived the  church,  building  up  membership  and  at- 
tendance in  a  wonderful  way.  A  deacon  worth 
;^40,000  told  me :  *  He  saved  my  only  boy  and 
buried  my  wife,  and  I  owe  him  a  debt  which  I 


58  Modern  Church  Finance 

could  not  repay.'  He  did  not  try,  for  he  paid  only 
sixty  dollars  a  year.  When  my  brother  resigned 
after  six  years,  this  deacon  shed  tears  of  grief  and 
contributed  ten  dollars  to  a  farewell  purse.  These 
farmers  had  not  raised  his  salary  a  cent,  though 
they  were  all  saving  money.  Because  of  children, 
needed  books  and  furniture  and  horse  and  buggy 
he  had  scarcely  been  able  to  keep  up  the  interest 
on  his  ;^1,500  debt. 

"  His  second  field  was  in  a  rich  county  seat  church 
which  paid  ;^1,600.  The  manse  was  large.  Heat 
and  light  cost  nearly  ;^200  per  year.  Because  his 
wife  must  be  an  assistant  minister,  he  must  spend 
^300  a  year  for  a  maid.  They  were  compelled  to 
buy  better  furniture,  to  entertain,  to  give,  to  dress, 
as  did  their  prosperous  members,  and  to  pass 
through  an  expensive  siege  .of  illness.  Though  he 
added  one  hundred  per  cent,  to  the  attendance  at 
the  church  and  Sunday-school  they  added  only 
twelve  per  cent,  to  his  salary.  After  seven  years, 
during  which  he  was  able  to  reduce  his  debt  only 
;^150,  they  gave  him  a  great  send-off  and  a  loving 
cup,  nothing  more. 

"  Next  he  went  to  a  church  in  a  rapidly  growing 
suburb  on  a  salary  of  ^2,000,  with  a  promise  of 
;^500  increase  if  the  church  prospered.  The  church 
prospered  unexpectedly  and  they  had  to  go  in  debt 
to  build  a  larger  plant  to  accommodate  the  new 
members,  so  the  raise  was  '  not  possible.'  In  ad- 
dition to  ^2,500  which  he  thus  waived,  he  contrib- 
uted ^1,000  in  cash  to  the  building  fund.    After 


Enlarge  the  Minister's  Salary  59 

five  years  of  debt-raising  and  struggling  with 
poverty,  he  broke  down.  He  had  not  saved  a  cent 
to  reduce  his  mortgage.  I  gave  him  $1,000  to 
carry  him  through  a  long  illness  and  save  his  life 
insurance.  The  people  worshipped  him  but  would 
have  let  him  starve. 

"  He  is  now  back  at  work,  but  his  children  are 
grown  up,  the  oldest  being  nineteen,  and  he  can 
scarcely  keep  them  in  high  school  and  meet  the  in- 
terest on  his  debt.  He  will  never  be  as  strong 
again  and  cannot  hope  for  a  two  thousand  dollar 
income. 

"  What  of  myself  ?  Starting  as  a  farm  hand  and 
giving  my  attention  to  earning  and  saving  and  in- 
vesting, I  have  during  these  twenty  years  accumu- 
lated over  $50,000.  When  he  graduated  from  the 
seminary  $1,500  in  debt,  I  had  earned  and  accumu- 
lated $3,000  in  cash  with  which  I  bought  and  sold 
cattle  and  grain. 

"  Yet  I  have  not  worked  any  harder  than  he,  nor 
has  my  wife,  and  we  have  perfect  health.  My 
ability  was  no  greater  than  his,  but  I  was  not  com- 
pelled to  spend  without  return.  I  could  wear 
cheaper  clothes,  use  cheaper  furniture,  avoid  giving 
to  all  the  peddlers  and  agents,  live  healthfully  out- 
doors, and  save  what  I  earned.  I  am  not  much  of 
a  churchman,  partially  because  of  the  wicked  and 
wasteful  way  the  churches  treated  him.  If  he  had 
been  better  paid,  he  might  now  be  worth  five  times 
as  much  to  the  church  and  to  his  family.  God 
cannot  bless  such  stinginess,  such  niggardliness. 


6o  Modern  Church  Finance 

"  I  am  scarcely  worthy  to  tie  my  brother's  shoes, 
yet  he  is  starved  and  silently  scorned  as  a  *  poor 
manager,'  while  I  am  praised  as  a  wise  and  val- 
uable citizen.  I  expect  to  make  up  to  him  and  his 
family  in  part  out  of  my  prosperity,  but  the 
churches  he  served  should  have  given  him  justice. 
The  churches  should  increase  all  ministers'  salaries 
from  fifty  to  two  hundred  per  cent.  Even  then 
they  would  not  receive  a  tithe  of  the  value  of  their 
services,  which  value  would  increase  faster  than 
their  salaries." 

An  employer  of  salesmen  said  :  "  If  they  would 
push  my  business  with  the  same  devotion  and 
diligence  as  they  do  the  work  of  the  church,  I 
would  be  willing  to  take  by  lot  half  the  graduating 
class  of  the  theological  school  near  me  and  guaran- 
tee them,  on  the  average,  during  the  next  thirty 
years,  treble  the  average  salary  which  the  other 
half  receives  as  ministers." 

The  cost  of  living.  It  has  doubled  or  trebled 
faster  than  the  minister's  salary  has  increased. 
Lamentations  about  "  the  faithful  old-time  pastors  " 
could  in  most  places  be  silenced  by  a  reference  to 
"  the  faithful  old-time  congregations  which  made 
their  ministers  their  first  concern,  employed  them 
for  life  and  supported  them  in  comfort  far  beyond 
their  own,  and  donated  the  meat,  eggs  and  butter 
which  now  cost  thirty-five  to  fifty  cents." 

The  minister  is  called  on  to  give  to  twice  as 
many  special  causes  because  he  is,  next  to  the 
church,  "  the  observed  of  all  solicitors  and  beggars." 


Enlarge  the  Minister's  Salary  61 

His  old  age.  If  you  do  not  pay  him  so  he  can 
save  for  his  old  age,  some  one  else  must  pay  the  bill. 
You  have  simply  done  what  the  tramp  does,  gotten 
service  without  paying  the  price.  You  should  be 
ashamed  to  let  folks  elsewhere  support  your  minister 
for  you  in  his  old  age. 

The  question  is  not  "  What  is  the  lowest  salary 
for  which  we  can  get  a  man?"  but  "What  is  a 
decent  support  and  an  honest  wage  under  the  con- 
ditions involved  ?  "  What  standard  of  living  and 
support  shall  we  encourage  as  a  Christian  church  ? 
While  we  hurl  epithets  at  Jews,  shall  we  "  Jew  " 
our  minister  down  to  the  bottom  dollar,  though  our 
Jewish  friends  pay  treble  the  average  salary  of 
American  Protestants  ?  Shall  we  take  advantage 
of  the  economic  ignorance  of  an  enthusiastic  young 
pastor  and  his  wife  and  allow  them  to  toil  and  sacri- 
fice until  their  days  of  opportunity  are  past,  their 
family  grown  large  and  their  debts  unpaid  ?  Shall 
we  demand  that  the  minister  remain  single,  depriv- 
ing the  parish  of  the  spiritual  value  of  Christian 
homes  ?  Shall  he  remain  childless  and  deprive  the 
world  of  the  talented  leaders  who  are  found  among 
the  children  of  the  manse  in  a  proportion  three 
times  as  great  as  among  the  children  of  any  other 
group,  according  to  "  Who's  Who  "  ? 

Shall  the  minister  have  the  books  and  magazines 
and  advantages  which  he  needs  each  year  if  he  is 
to  maintain  his  eiSciency,  increase  his  usefulness, 
render  the  service  which  the  church  and  the  world 
need,  and  justify  his  own  sacrifice  ?    Or  shall  he  be 


62  Modem  Church  Finance 

denied  these  things,  squeezed  dry  like  an  orange, 
turned  from  an  enthusiastic  capable  youth  into  a 
dry  and  narrow  stick  which  soon  comes  to  the 
dead-line,  lost  to  the  church,  doomed  to  a  pre- 
mature old  age,  a  burden  to  himself,  a  reproach  to 
the  wisdom  of  the  church  and  an  untimely  burden 
to  the  pension  fund,  a  wasted  life,  because  his 
churches  would  not  pay  him  an  adequate  support  ? 
Surely,  when  the  average  passenger  conductor  on 
the  Big  Four  Kailroad  receives  $1,Y67  per  year  and 
the  average  freight  conductor  receives  $1,313,  it  is 
not  unfair  to  ask  that  these  amounts  should  con- 
stitute the  minimum  salaries  for  ministers  who 
must  spend  so  much  more  in  so  many  ways.  In 
Buffalo  Presbytery,  "Six  years  ago  ten  churches 
paid  from  $600  to  $900.  Every  salary  has  now  been 
raised  to  at  least  $1,000  and  a  manse,  and  some  of 
these  have  gone  up  to  $1,200  and  $1,500." 

A  Loss  IN  A  Lapsed  Year 
In  a  Stamford,  Conn.,  church,  the  first  canvass 
in  1911  doubled  the  amounts  given  for  missions  and 
for  support.  This  gain  was  well  sustained  in  a  sec- 
ond canvass  in  1912.  In  1913  no  canvass  was  made 
and  giving  dropped  back  to  the  1910  standard.     In 

1914  a  canvass  in  a  very  stormy  week  regained 
some  ground,  but  was  not  entirely  successful.     In 

1915  the  canvass  was  made  on  one  Sunday  after- 
noon and  yielded  an  increase  of  sixty-five  per  cent, 
in  subscriptions  for  the  church  and  an  increase  of 
fifty  per  cent,  in  subscriptions  for  missions. 


Essentials  to  Fullest  Success  in  Church 
Finance 

I.    Fullest  Financial  Success  is  Possible 

THE  deplorable  spiritual  and  practical 
church  problems  which  are  due  to  mis- 
management of  church  finances,  and  to 
the  chaos  in  financial  ideals  and  methods,  which  we 
have  already  noted  and  analyzed,  need  not  continue. 
As  in  all  other  businesses,  a  standardized  system 
has  been  evolved  which  marks  a  new  era  in  the  way 
of  success. 

Pressing  poverty  and  injurious  money-making 
schemes  are  no  longer  necessary  alternatives  for 
any  churches  whose  leaders  are  willing  to  profit  by 
the  successes  of  other  churches,  to  adopt  Scriptural 
and  businesslike  policies  and  methods,  to  exercise 
at  least  ordinary  intelligence  and  tact  in  adapting 
and  installing,  with  team  work  in  pushing,  their 
finance  plans.  The  experiences  of  thousands  of 
churches  of  every  size  and  type,  of  every  denomina- 
tion, demonstrate  in  a  wonderful  way  that  all 
church  finance  ills  can  be  remedied  and  that  our 
American  Protestant  churches  can  quadruple  their 
benevolences  on  the  average  while  adequately  en- 
larging their  budgets  and  their  efficiency.  ^ 

63 


64  Modern  Church  Finance 

From  every  state  and  territory  come  stories  that 
are  little  short  of  miraculous  of  financial  successes 
where  modern  ideals  and  methods  have  been 
adopted  :  of  debts  reduced,  of  deficits  ended,  of 
salaries  increased,  of  social  and  educational  work 
magnified,  and  of  benevolences  multiplied.  Let  the 
doubter  write  to  his  denominational  headquarters  or 
to  the  Laymen's  Missionary  Movement  for  a  list  of 
successful  churches  similar  to  his  own. 

Other  wonderful  signs  of  Divine  approval  have 
everywhere  accompanied  the  adoption  of  these 
plans,  such  as  unprecedented  increases  in  member- 
ship and  in  attendance  for  all  departments  and 
services ;  indifference  and  strife  turned  to  loyal 
enthusiasm  and  harmony  ;  better  sermons  preached 
by  pastors  who  have  been  relieved  of  financial  wor- 
ries. Energies  formerly  devoted  to  selling  pies  and 
pop-corn,  to  gathering  miles  of  pennies  and  bushels 
of  paper,  to  making  oyster  soups  and  ham  sand- 
wiches, have  been  devoted  to  home  duties  and  Bible 
study,  to  prayer-meetings  and  community  service,  to 
missionary  and  welfare  activities. 

A  vast  chorus  of  praise  arises  from  armies  of 
elders,  deacons,  trustees,  treasurers,  pastors,  mis- 
sionaries and  plain  church  members  of  all  ages  and 
sexes,  who  have  been  delivered  from  a  previous  con- 
dition of  servitude  to  church  bankruptcy  and 
abominable  finance  methods  and  enabled  to  make 
real  advances  towards  church  efficiency  by  these 
modern  financial  plans  which  are  both  Scriptural 
and  businesslike,  as  well  as  successful. 


Essentials  to  Fullest  Success  65 

More  than  forty  religious  bodies,  comprising  over 
twenty  million  members  or  about  ninety  per  cent 
of  the  constituency  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance  and 
of  the  Federal  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ  in 
America,  have  in  general  adopted,  or  in  some  way 
officially  sanctioned,  these  new  plans;  an  unan- 
swerable  testimony  to  their  worth  as  well  as  an  in- 
valuable proof  of  the  possibility  and  probability  of 
church  unity  in  other  matters. 

The  nation-wide  possibilities  through  these  new 
plans  are  best  illustrated  by  the  results  in  two  de- 
nominations which  have  pushed  them  with  most 
efficiency  ;  namely,  the  Southern  Presbyterians  and 
the  United  Presbyterians.  The  writer  does  not  be- 
long to  either  of  these  bodies.  Neither  of  them  is 
extra  rich  or  extra  large.  Their  memberships  ap- 
proximate respectively  300,000  and  150,000. 

In  spite  of  "  Southern  slowness,"  the  former 
speedily  increased  their  contributions  for  local  sup- 
port by  over  three  dollars  per  capita  and  their  be- 
nevolences by  over  two  dollars  per  capita  in  eight 
years  after  beginning  to  push  the  system,  although 
scarcely  one-third  of  their  churches  had  yet  begun 
to  follow  these  methods.  If  the  other  American 
Protestant  churches  (not  including  the  colored) 
were  to  make  the  same  advances,  it  would  add 
more  than  eighty  million  dollars  for  local  church 
support  and  more  than  twenty-five  million  for  mis- 
sions and  benevolences. 

In  less  than  ten  years  the  United  Presbyterians 
have  doubled  their  benevolences  and  increased  the 


66  Modern  Church  Finance 

salaries  of  their  pastors  by  an  average  of  nearly 
three  hundred  dollars.  Their  benevolences  are 
over  six  dollars  per  capita  per  annum  and  their 
congregational  expenses  nearly  fifteen  dollars. 
While  such  giving  would  treble  the  income  of  most 
American  denominations,  yet  they  have  set  their 
standards  at  ten  dollars  per  member  for  benevo- 
lences and  a  minimum  salary  of  at  least  $1,200  for 
every  minister,  while  their  average  salary  has  al- 
ready passed  that  standard. 

The  Methodists  "]^orth"  have  made  equally 
astounding  advances  and,  as  one  bishop  put  it, 
"  We  have  only  begun  our  advance." 

II.    The  Essentials  to  the  Laegest  Finan- 
cial Success 

We  shall  discuss  most  of  these  in  detail  in  sepa- 
rate chapters  but  we  must  here  survey  briefly  the 
features  which  are  helping  to  work  such  magic  in 
church  finance. 

As  in  most  other  modern  movements,  few  fea- 
tures are  absolutely  new.  Most  churches  already 
have  some  of  them  and  many  churches  have  most 
of  them.  But  as  one  missing  part  makes  an  auto 
imperfect  and  one  missing  figure  shuts  the  banker 
out  of  his  combination  safe,  so  failure  as  to  any  of 
these  essentials  will  usually  result  in  partial,  or 
total,  failure.  The  church  which  omits  or  bungles 
just  one  or  two  steps  will  fall  short  of  the  largest 
success  and  may  land  in  a  ditch.  Should  it  suc- 
ceed, by  the  providence  which  looks  after  many 


Essentials  to  Fullest  Success  67 

fools  and  churches,  it  leads  others  to  fail  by  follow- 
ing it. 

To  some  the  system  may  at  first  seem  complex 
and  the  number  of  essentials  overstated,  but  this 
impression  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  average 
churchman  is  bewildered  by  the  very  simplicity  of 
the  new  plan  and  becomes  an  enthusiast  for  it  only 
after  persistently  taking  every  step  with  diligence 
and  care ;  and  the  points  enumerated  have  all  been 
found  essential. 

1.  The  first  essential  to  the  largest  success  in 
financing  a  church  is  that  the  church  shall  he 
worthy  of  liberal  support. 

The  sermons,  the  atmosphere  and  the  furnish- 
ings must  be  attractive.  It  must  be  really  and 
fully  a  Christian  church,  marked  by  friendliness, 
prayer,  peace  and  harmony  ;  by  a  pastor  and  officers 
who  are  worthy ;  by  a  realization  that  it  is  a  means 
and  not  an  end ;  by  diligent  efforts  to  be  just  as 
faithful  in  rendering  useful  services  to  and  through 
its  members  and  to  and  through  the  community, 
as  in  conducting  services ;  and  by  efforts  to  attain 
educational  and  spiritual  efficiency  to  the  utmost  of 
its  resources.  Above  all,  it  must  be  a  real  brother- 
hood of  God's  children,  permeated  with  a  sense  of 
God's  nearness.  It  must  really  help  to  bring  men 
and  God  into  closer  fellowship. 

2.  Congregational  democracy.  Give  the  mem- 
bers a  real  share  in  the  management.  Do  not 
simply  permit  them  to  vote  for  a  slate  and  a  pro- 
gram which  have  been  set  up  without  their  knowl- 


68  Modern  Church  Finance 

edge.  Consult  their  needs  and  desires  as  in  a  real 
democracy.  Not  only  will  this  secure  a  more 
liberal  financial  support  but  it  will  promote  the 
loyalty  and  self-respect  of  its  members,  increase 
their  usefulness  and  spiritual  development,  and  pro- 
mote civic  efficiency. 

The  oligarchic  church  in  which  a  few  furnish  the 
money  or  manage  the  affairs  "  for  the  good  of  the 
many  "  may  succeed  temporarily,  may  be  mechan- 
ically efficient,  but  disintegration  of  finances  and  of 
constituency  is  almost  certain  when  the  so-called 
"  pillars  "  fall  or  move  away.  An  efficient  church 
is  not  a  house  built  on  human  posts  which  may  fall 
but  is  a  living  organism  which  must  grow  ever 
stronger  and  which  depends  for  its  permanent  life 
and  largest  power  on  the  vital  functioning  of  every 
member,  as  a  body  does  on  its  cells. 

3.  Social  and  missionary  vision.  God  is  con- 
cerned with  the  salvation  of  all  men  in  the  world  for 
all  are  His  children ;  and  with  the  salvation  of  all 
of  every  man,  for  He  made  all  of  man  including 
body  and  mind  and  social  instincts,  and  ordained 
that  Christ,  our  example,  should  grow  in  every  re- 
gard, for  the  gospel  specifies  emphatically  that 
*'  The  child  Jesus  grew  in  wisdom  (intellectually), 
and  in  stature  (physically)  and  in  favor  with  God 
and  man  (socially  and  spiritually)." 

It  may  seem  like  folly  for  a  church  which  cannot 
meet  its  ordinary  expenses  to  increase  its  budget 
for  the  sake  of  social  and  community  service,  or  to 
undertake  a  larger  missionary  budget,  yet  it  has 


Essentials  to  Fullest  Success  69 

proven  rather  to  be  the  highest  wisdom,  a  neces- 
sary step  to  the  largest  success  in  meeting  its  ordi- 
nary expenses. 

Common  sense  and  the  experience  of  thousands 
of  churches  both  testify  that  the  church  which 
seeks  to  obey  the  teachings  of  Christ  to  "  love  thy 
neighbor  as  thyself  "  and  to  "  Go  ye  therefore  and 
disciple  all  the  nations  "  will  receive  the  fulfillment 
of  the  promise  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  always."  Many 
a  church  which  thought  it  had  exhausted  its  finan- 
cial possibilities  has  been  able  to  secure  ample  funds 
by  enlarging  its  expenditures  for  boys  and  girls,  for 
the  poor  and  for  the  community.  People  want 
their  money's  worth,  and  a  church  must  meet  their 
needs  and  be  something  more  than  an  audience  and 
four  walls  to  insure  loyalty.  They  need  social  life 
and  the  church  rather  than  the  dance  hall  should 
meet  this  need. 

"  Give  and  it  shall  be  given  you,"  and  "  There  is 
that  withholdeth  more  than  is  meat  but  it  tendeth 
to  poverty,"  are  just  as  true  for  churches  as  for  in- 
dividuals. One  church  with  a  budget  of  $3,000 
which  it  "  could  not  raise  "  did  the  suicidal  thing, 
as  its  ofiicers  thought,  of  making  up  a  missionary 
budget  of  $2,000.  As  the  education  concerning 
missions  led  the  people  to  realize  what  a  great  obli- 
gation the  church  really  had,  and  to  consider  their 
duty  towards  the  heathen,  they  became  more  re- 
sponsive to  their  duty  to  their  own  church  and 
pledges  totalling  $2,200  for  benevolences  were  no 
more  astounding  to  the  officers  than  the  increase 


yo  Modern  Church  Finance 

of  the  church  support  pledges  to  $3,700.  A  live 
missionary  committee  is  absolutely  necessary. 

Jf,.  An  efficient  pastor.  No  church  can  attain 
the  largest  possible  success  without  a  minister  who 
is  faithful  m  his  sermonic  and  pastoral  work,  who 
is  cordial  and  optimistic,  who  faithfully  seeks  to 
serve  the  Kingdom  in  every  possible  way,  who  ex- 
emplifies liberality  as  well  as  preaches  it,  who  tact- 
fully seeks  to  lead  his  ofiicers  in  the  adoption  of 
the  best  plans  and  methods  and  in  developing  the 
interest  of  the  people  in  financial  matters.  (See 
chapter,  "  The  Pastor  and  Church  Finance.") 

6.  Faithful  and  comjpetent  financial  officers. 
They  must  be  faithful  in  exemplifying  and  teach- 
ing Scriptural  ideals  as  to  stewardship  and  in  in- 
vestigating and  adopting  business  methods.  They 
will,  as  boards  and  as  individuals,  give  ample  time 
to  pushing  the  finances  to  success.  They  must  be 
chosen  because  of  efficiency,  not  as  an  honor,  and 
must  hold  the  confidence  of  the  people.  (See 
Chapter  XIII.) 

6.  Democracy  in  finance  management.  The  con- 
gregation must  be  consulted  as  to  methods  and 
budgets  and  kept  fully  informed  as  to  what  should 
be  and  is  being  done.  Popular  interest  will  dimin- 
ish and  liberality  will  decay  under  secret  diplomacy 
or  star  chamber  church  finance  management.  A 
joint  committee  on  finance  should  be  appointed, 
with  representation  from  every  board  and  societ}'', 
to  discuss  all  steps  fully.  This  committee  should 
usually  take  charge  of  the  raising  of  the  money, 


Essentials  to  Fullest  Success  71 

allowing  the  finance  board  full  responsibility  for 
disbursing  it. 

7.  Adopt  a  complete  church  hudget  and  have  it 
in  sight  hefore  the  finance  year  begins.  Instead  of 
having  the  trustees  raise  the  salaries,  the  deacons 
finance  the  poor,  the  women  provide  for  repairs, 
the  young  people  support  the  music,  and  the  ushers 
furnish  the  parish  house,  these  and  all  other  known 
items  of  congregational  expense  for  the  coming 
year  should  be  included  in  one  budget,  so  that  no 
supplemental  appeals  will  be  needed  or  expected, 
and  the  full  energy  and  assistance  of  every  member 
will  be  heartily  challenged  to  raise  it.  People  will 
seldom  do  their  full  duty  so  long  as  they  know  that 
additional  appeals  will  be  made  during  the  year. 
(See  Chapters  III  and  YI.) 

8.  Secure  written  subscriptions.  Some  folks 
declare  that  they  never  make  pledges,  but  they 
all  do.  Not  only  do  they  pledge  to  love  and  sup- 
port those  whom  they  marry  but  they  make  defi- 
nite pledges  to  landlords,  hired  help,  banks  and 
stores,  lodges  and  clubs;  and  they  should  treat 
God  and  their  church  in  the  same  way.  Without 
written  pledges,  the  church  officers  will  not  know 
what  to  count  on  and  must  vote  expenditures  on 
their  own  responsibility.  The  unpledged  giver  is 
like  an  unaudited  treasurer ;  he  never  knows  what 
he  has  paid  or  owes.  Use  cards  instead  of  a  sub- 
scription list.     (See  Chapters  YI  and  IX.) 

9.  Secure  pledges  on  the  weekly  basis.  Every 
business  man  knows  the  vast  insurance  concerns 


72  Modern  Church  Finance 

and  the  other  modern  enterprises  built  on  small  but 
frequent  installments.  Kemembering  the  vast  sums 
paid  out  weekly  and  monthly  at  meat  shops  and 
stores,  in  rents  and  on  installments,  it  is  natural  that 
the  last  decade,  in  which  this  system  has  just  begun 
to  come  into  common  use  in  churches,  has  seen  an 
increase  of  one  hundred  per  cent,  in  America's  an- 
nual gifts  to  home  and  foreign  missions  and  of 
more  than  twenty  million  dollars  in  the  annual  in- 
come of  America's  churches. 

The  philosophy  of  the  weekly  pledge  is  illus- 
trated by  a  woman  whose  annual  pledge  had  been 
ten  dollars  while  her  benevolences  were  not  worth 
considering.  She  told  the  canvassers  "I  cannot 
possibly  increase  my  gifts.  If  you  insist  on  a 
weekly  pledge,  I  will  cut  it  down  to  fifty  cents  a 
week  for  the  church  and  twenty-five  cents  a  week 
for  benevolences  and  make  it  easier  for  myself." 

Multitudes  who  were  "  too  poor  to  pledge  any- 
thing "  will  be  delighted  to  pledge  ten  or  twenty- 
five  cents  per  week  which  amounts  to  a  goodly 
amount  during  fifty-two  weeks.  Vast  numbers  of 
people  who  hesitated  to  subscribe  five  and  ten  and 
twenty-five  dollars  per  year  on  the  annual  pledge 
plan  have  promptly  doubled  or  trebled  their  gifts 
when  they  have  been  led  to  compute  on  the  weekly 
basis  and  found  that,  for  example,  "  fifteen  dollars 
a  year  is  less  than  thirty  cents  a  week." 

10.  Subscriptions  7niist  he  jpaid  weekly.  It  is 
difficult  to  overestimate  this  point.  When  people 
pay  weekly  they  can  pay  more  easily,  are  less  likely 


Essentials  to  Fullest  Success  73 

to  get  behind,  and  will  be  more  regular  in  attend- 
ance. There  is  another  equally  important  reason. 
When  Paul  directed  his  converts,  "  On  the  first  day 
of  the  week,  let  each  one  of  you,"  he  not  only  in- 
augurated the  installment  system  of  church  support, 
the  best  yet  devised,  but  he  emphasized  the  worship 
of  God.  "Bring  an  offering  and  come  into  His 
courts"  implies  that  we  should  bring  offerings 
every  time  we  come.  To  "  Worship  the  Lord  with 
offerings  "  every  Sabbath  is  as  essential  as  to  wor- 
ship Him  with  prayer  or  praise.  Even  though  the 
church  did  not  gain  a  dollar  in  money  by  this 
system,  it  should  be  used  to  deepen  the  interest  in 
worship  and  to  promote  the  weekly  recognition 
that  wealth  is  of  God  and  that  He  must  have  a 
definite  share  of  every  week's  income. 

11.  Duplex  subscriptions  and  envelopes  putting 
church  support  and  benevolences  on  the  same  sys- 
tem are  indispensable ;  because  the  church  should 
give  more  to  missions,  because  every  person  who  is 
converted  to  the  support  of  missions  will  be  more 
liberal  to  his  own  church  and  will  be  certain  to  do 
his  full  share,  and  because  the  raising  of  missionary 
or  any  other  funds  by  special  envelopes  or  frequent 
spasmodic  appeals  is  a  detriment  to  church  support. 
Many  members  argue :  "  I  will  not  pledge  liberally 
for  the  church  because  there  will  be  so  many  ap- 
peals for  benevolences."  Though  such  folks  usu- 
ally give  very  little  in  spasmodic  benevolence  col- 
lections, because  no  audit  is  made  of  their  trifling 
gifts,  yet  they  hide  behind  them. 


74  Modern  Church  Finance 

Besides,  it  is  a  great  advantage  that  the  minister 
need  not  waste  time  and  energy  at  the  church 
service  by  such  frequent  appeals  for  benevolences, 
as  dissipating  the  spiritual  atmosphere  before  his 
sermons,  unfitting  him  for  preaching  and  the  people 
for  listening.  (Duplex  envelope  samples  can  be 
secured  from  your  denominational  agencies  or 
through  the  Duplex  Envelope  Company,  Kich- 
mond,  Va.,  or  other  publishers.) 

Thousands  of  churches  have  learned  what  one 
churchman  thus  expresses  :  "  When  you  promise  a 
man  that  there  will  be  no  more  appeals  to  him  for 
twelve  months  for  the  church  or  its  missionary 
boards,  if  he  will  make  sufficiently  liberal  subscrip- 
tions and  will  put  down  on  a  duplex  pledge  card 
once  and  for  all  every  penny  that  he  should  pledge 
during  the  year  to  be  paid  in  duplex  envelopes,  he 
can  no  longer  hide  behind  future  appeals  but  must 
either  put  up  or  shut  up." 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  usually  a  fatal  error  to 
"lump  both  Local  Church  Support  and  Benevo- 
lence in  the  same  subscription.  Since  even  this 
system — usually  termed  *  the  Single  Budget ' — 
marks  an  advance  upon  no  system,  some  churches 
have  fallen  into  it  and  will  fall  heir  to  its  evils.  It 
is  a  case  of  the  Good  becoming  the  enemy  of  the 
Better.  In  the  long  run  the  single  subscription 
ordinarily  proves  a  distinct  disadvantage  and 
should  give  way  to  the  tw^ofold  subscription,  for 
these  reasons  among  others,  viz. : 

"  It  obscures  the  distinction  between  two  things 


Essentials  to  Fullest  Success  75 

which  are  different,  viz.— What  one  owes  for  the 
religious  privileges  which  he  and  his  receive,  and 
what  he  gives  for  the  extension  of  the  blessings  of 
the  Gospel  to  all  the  world.  The  former  is  a  fixed 
and  limited  amount,  of  which  he  should  pay  his 
fair  share ;  the  other  is  a  well-nigh  limitless  oppor- 
tunity, which  he  should  do  his  utmost  to  meet. 
Under  the  Mosaic  Law,  the  former  was  termed  the 
Tithe,  the  other  the  Free-will  Offering.  The  dis- 
tinction still  applies;  it  should  not  be  obscured. 
Even  though  adults  recognize  it,  the  child  needs 
the  education  secured  by  filling  two  pockets." 

If  only  a  single  subscription  is  made  and  a  per 
cent,  assigned  to  benevolences,  the  opponents  of 
missions  cut  down  their  pledges  to  force  a  reduc- 
tion in  benevolences,  while  missionary  enthusiasts 
who  pay  a  tithe  will  refuse  to  give  it  to  a  fund 
which  devotes  eighty  or  ninety  per  cent,  to  church 
support  while  others  do  not  do  their  share. 

Folks  will  give  more  in  a  double  pledge  than  in 
a  single  pledge,  under  ordinary  circumstances. 

Even  where  the  system  seems  to  succeed  for  a 
time,  because  of  a  specially  successful  pastor  or 
committee,  it  falls  into  decay  after  a  few  years, 
usually  under  the  next  pastor.  The  benevolences 
decrease  sadly  and  even  current  expenses  usually 
suffer.  Only  in  a  tithing  church  can  the  system 
be  used  satisfactorily  and  permanently. 

12.  Pledges  raust  he  secured  hy  personal  visits  to 
the  homes.  Amid  the  competition  of  life  insurance, 
real  estate,  book,  machinery,  piano  and  countless 


76  Modern  Church  Finance 

other  agents,  many  people  have  naturally  become 
temperamentally  unprepared  to  respond  to  any  ap- 
peal that  is  not  made  in  person  and  the  church  finds 
it  absolutely  essential  to  visit  each  home,  answer 
questions,  persuade  as  to  duty,  and  secure  imme- 
diate decisions.  Personal  work  is  just  as  necessary 
for  pocket  book  conversions  as  for  the  other  kind. 
From  fifty  to  five  hundred  per  cent,  more  will  be 
secured  by  the  buttonhole  method  from  those  who 
have  hitherto  failed  to  do  their  duty. 

An  occasional  church  may  succeed  fairly  well  by 
using  letters  or  by  taking  pledges  at  a  public  serv- 
ice, but  these  methods  usually  prove  a  snare  and  a 
delusion.  The  liberal  folks  do  their  share  as  al- 
ways but  the  others,  whom  it  is  most  urgent  to 
reach,  either  pledge  inadequately  or  fail  to  respond 
at  all.  Smith  says,  "  This  applies  to  Jones  ;  not  to 
me,"  and  pledges  ten  cents  per  week  where  a  per- 
sonal visit  saying  "  Thou  art  the  man  "  would  have 
secured  fifty  cents  or  one  dollar. 

Besides,  this  plan  helps  greatly  in  promoting  ac- 
quaintance and  social  life.  It  is  a  great  means  of 
grace  to  the  canvassers  themselves  and  the  people 
are  delighted  to  have  visits  made  in  behalf  of  the 
church  by  some  one  other  than  the  pastor.  It  usu- 
ally results  in  an  increase  in  membership  and  inter- 
est both  in  the  church  and  all  its  societies.  (See 
Chapters  YIII  and  IX.) 

13.  An  every  memher  canvass  must  he  prepared 
for  as  carefully  as  any  other  harvest.  All  depends 
on  the  preliminary  plowing,  on  the  sowing  of  in- 


Essentials  to  Fullest  Success  77 

formation  and  inspiration,  and  on  the  cultivation  of 
interest  and  enthusiasm.  This  is  particularly  true 
of  the  first  canvass  under  the  new  plan  but  it  is 
essential  every  year.     (See  Chapter  YI.) 

IJi,.  The  congregation  must  he  carefxilly  and 
effectively  educated  in  the  Scriptural  pr'incijples  of 
Christian  Stewardship.  In  sermons,  lay  addresses, 
by  leaflets  and  by  the  visitation,  special  emphasis 
should  be  given  to  the  facts :  that  God  is  no  beggar 
to  be  apologized  for,  but  created  all  wealth  and 
gives  the  power  to  get  wealth  ;  that  our  Anglo- 
Saxon  ancestors  were  naked  cannibals  and  poverty- 
stricken  barbarians  until  less  than  2,000  years  ago, 
until,  at  great  sacrifice,  Christian  missionaries  who 
had  caught  the  spirit  of  Christ  brought  to  them  the 
gospel  of  hope  which  has  been  the  foundation  of 
our  civilization  and  education  and  prosperity  as 
well  as  of  spiritual  salvation  ;  that  common  grati- 
tude would  lead  us  to  preserve  and  develop  and 
share  the  blessings  of  this  gospel ;  and  that  the 
very  essence  of  Christianity  is  sacrifice,  for  "  If  any 
man  will  come  after  me,  let  him  deny  himself  and 
take  up  his  cross."    (See  Chapter  II.) 

15.  Secure  pledges  from  every  memher  and  ad- 
herent of  the  church.  It  is  their  duty  to  the  other 
members  of  the  church  to  do  their  share  in  meeting 
the  common  financial  obligations  and  in  upholding 
the  common  reputation  for  liberality.  It  is  an  ob- 
ligation assumed  when  they  join  the  church  or 
benefit  by  any  property  given  of  God  ;  and  it  is 
essential  to  their  spiritual  development.    Failure 


78  Modern  Church  Finance 

here  has  often  bankrupted  many  churches,  spiritu- 
ally as  well  as  financially. 

Paul's  instruction,  "Let  each  one  of  you,"  in- 
cludes all  wage  earners,  whether  ten  years  old  or 
one  hundred,  whether  the  newsie  earning  twenty- 
five  cents  a  day  or  the  millionaire.  But  it  does 
not  omit  others.  It  includes  the  poorest  and  the 
richest.  Each  woman  is  "  one "  when  she  pur- 
chases hats  and  jewelry,  and  she  should  be  "  one  " 
also  in  the  matter  of  worship,  offering  her  own  gift 
as  well  as  her  own  prayers  and  praises.  Indeed, 
each  wife  and  daughter  deserves  an  individual  in- 
come as  truly  as  does  the  housemaid,  and  the 
church  should  fully  recognize  the  personality  of 
women  by  insisting  on  their  individual  pledges 
out  of  individual  allowances.     (See  Chapter  XV.) 

Of  course,  non-church  members  and  even  non- 
attendants  should  give  to  support  some  church,  for 
they  benefit  financially  because  of  churches  in  the 
community  and  the  state  and  their  obligation  is 
not  because  of  salvation  but  because  of  God's  uni- 
versal ownership  and  their  financial  debt,  as  stew- 
ards of  His  wealth  and  His  gift  of  the  power  and 
opportunity  to  get  wealth. 

Just  as  clearly  Paul  means  each  child  when  he 
says  "  each  one."  A  child  is  not  a  cipher.  "  Train 
up  a  child  in  the  way  he  should  go  "  applies  to  giv- 
ing as  well  as  to  manners  and  language.  Since  "  he 
should  go  "  "  in  the  way  "  of  making  liberal  writ- 
ten subscriptions  to  the  church  and  its  work  and  to 
benevolences,  the  church  should  insist  that  parents 


Essentials  to  Fullest  Success  79 

"  train  up  "  their  children  in  this  way.  Let  thera 
give  out  of  their  earnings  if  possible,  otherwise  out 
of  an  allowance.  They  should  be  taught  to  sign 
pledges,  to  fill  their  own  envelopes,  and  to  put 
them  on  the  plate  as  worship.  As  they  buy  candy 
and  peanuts  with  their  own  hands,  so  should  they 
give  with  their  own  hands  ;  and  never  less  than  a 
nickel,  for  the  church  should  be  at  least  on  an 
equality  with  the  nickelodeon,  and  the  "  penny 
collection  "  child  will  be  father  to  a  stingy  adult. 
(See  Chapter  XVI.) 

Hundreds  of  churches  have  more  subscribers 
than  members.  One  church  with  400  members 
had  only  ninety  contributors  ;  four  years  later,  with 
only  433  members,  it  had  580  contributors,  includ- 
ing every  member  of  the  church,  even  three  whom 
the  deacons  were  helping  to  support ;  though  many 
of  its  members  are  under  twelve  years  of  age. 
Also,  it  had  pledges  from  nearly  150  non-members ; 
children,  brothers-in-law,  and  friends  of  the  church. 
Many  a  church  has  a  subscription  from  every  resi- 
dent member. 

16.  Efficient  treasurers  and  loohJceepers.  All 
accounts  must  be  kept  with  strictest  accuracy  and 
disbursements  made  in  due  legal  form.  The  two 
treasurers  and  the  bookkeeper  must  be  chosen  with 
great  care.  Uncle  Sam's  mail  carriers  and  printer's 
ink  must  be  recognized  as  valuable  assistants  in 
collecting  pledges.     (See  Chapters  X  and  XI.) 

17.  Numhered  and  dated  envelopes  must  be  used 
or  many  subscribers  will  lose  track  of  their  pay- 


8o  Modem  Church  Finance 

ments  and  trouble  ensues.  Dated  envelopes  enable 
each  subscriber  to  have  an  accurate  record.  If  he 
is  away  ten  weeks,  one  glance  at  his  envelopes  on 
the  first  Sabbath  morning  after  his  return  shows 
exactly  how  much  he  owes.  If  envelopes  are  not 
numbered,  many  will  come  in  without  names  and 
the  treasurer's  hair  will  almost  turn  white  with  the 
worry  of  trying  to  keep  his  accounts  straight. 

18.  Activity  must  he  wisely  and  energetically 
maintained  throughout  the  year.  Every  new  mem- 
ber should  be  at  once  enlisted  by  a  personal  visit 
by  two  officers,  for  intelligent  and  liberal  support 
of  both  budgets.  Subscribers  who  fall  three 
months  or  more  behind  in  payments  should  be 
personally  visited,  preferably  by  those  who  secured 
their  subscriptions.  Have  much  publicity.  Fre- 
quent reports  should  be  made  in  the  church  maga- 
zine or  from  the  pulpit  as  to  receipts  and  expendi- 
tures, at  least  quarterly,  to  maintain  public  interest. 
The  spirit  of  optimism  and  good  cheer  should  be 
disseminated  by  the  pastor  and  officers,  since  a 
church,  like  other  business,  cannot  succeed  in  a 
gloomy  atmosphere  or  when  any  of  its  representa- 
tives are  "  knocking  "  instead  of  "  boosting." 

19.  Perennial  persistence.  The  educational 
campaign  and  the  canvass,  as  well  as  other  details, 
must  be  repeated  annually,  or,  like  any  other  neg- 
lected business,  no  matter  how  successful  it  once 
was,  it  will  gradually  run  down.  The  annual 
campaign  is  essential  to  renew  the  interest  and 
enthusiasm   of  the  subscribers,  to  compel  a  fresh 


Essentials  to  Fullest  Success  81 

consideration  of  duty  and  prevent  lowering  of 
pledges,  to  secure  new  or  increased  pledges  from 
those  who  have  not  already  responded  adequately, 
or  whose  vision  or  income  or  stewardship  spirit  has 
grown  during  the  year.  It  gives  opportunity  for 
the  officers  to  keep  in  touch  with  the  people's  point 
of  view,  to  answer  questions,  to  discover  criticisms. 
It  promotes  acquaintance  and  pleases  the  members 
who  are  called  on.  It  promotes  church  attendance 
and  reclaims  lapsed  members. 

W.  Unity  of  finance  management.  Multiplic- 
ity of  money-raising  agencies  must  be  avoided. 
Reduce  the  number  of  money-raising  agencies  and 
appeals  as  far  as  possible,  inducing  all  members  to 
support  the  central  and  essential  work  of  raising 
the  church  budgets.     (See  Chapter  XIX.) 

21.  Denominational  encouragement  and  co- 
operation should  be  secured  as  fully  as  possible  as 
to  policies,  plans,  methods,  standards  as  to  steward- 
ship, salaries,  missionary  goals,  etc.  These  can  be 
promoted  by  holding  district  conferences  under 
denominational  auspices  led  by  competent  special- 
ists or  by  visits  by  its  special  field  men,  by  free  and 
paid  publicity  in  the  church  press,  by  literature  and 
leaflets  and  correspondence,  by  furnishing  blank 
forms  suited  to  the  denominational  plans,  by 
simultaneous  denomination- wide  campaigns,  etc. 
The  possibilities  in  this  line  are  best  illustrated  by 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  which  uses  its 
denominational  machinery,  bishops,  district  superin- 
tendents, etc. 


82  Modern  Church  Finance 

22.  Local  codperatio7i.  The  financial  standards 
of  neighboring  churches  influence  yours,  by  atmos- 
phere and  by  actual  contact.  "Why  should  we 
pay  a  larger  salary,  or  a  larger  average  per  capita, 
than  Blank  church  ?  "  is  a  common  question.  Be- 
sides, a  single  church  is  often  slow  to  move  without 
a  spirit  of  rivalry.  A  simultaneous  interdenomina' 
tional  ''  Finance,  Stewardship  and  Missions  "  cam- 
faign  for  a  city  or  county  or  community  is  inval- 
uable in  stimulating  to  higher  ideals  and  higher 
efficiency,  especially  if  the  canvass  can  be  made  on 
the  same  date.  When  the  expense  is  shared  by  each 
participating  church,  larger  use  can  be  made  of 
newspaper  publicity  and  the  best  specialists  can  be 
secured  to  help  perfect  plans,  train  canvassers  and 
inspire  congregations.  Free  and  paid  newspaper 
publicity  for  their  respective  achievements  and 
goals,  joint  official  conferences,  exchanges  of  pastors 
and  laymen  for  addresses,  and  other  possible  activi- 
ties will  multiply  the  enthusiasm  and  develop  a  spirit 
of  emulation  which  will  arouse  the  entire  population 
like  athletic  contests,  will  lead  each  church  to  vie 
with  the  others  as  to  methods  and  plans,  and 
number  and  size  of  pledges,  per  capita  results,  and 
proportionate  increases  for  both  church  support  and 
benevolences.  The  liberal  churches  become  psycho- 
logical whips  for  the  less  liberal,  and  are  them- 
selves stimulated  to  keep  in  the  lead.  Their  own 
interests  demand  that  they  help  raise  finance  stand- 
ards for  all  churches  in  their  community.  The 
writer  has  had  his  largest  success  in  the  most  dif- 


Essentials  to  Fullest  Success  83 

ficult  situations  by  such  simultaneous  cooperative 
finance  campaigns. 

23.  Campaign  efficiency.  Church  finance  lead- 
ers should  plan  their  work  months  ahead.  Farmers 
fail  who  wait  until  the  harvest  is  due  before  they 
plan  and  plow  and  cultivate.  The  spasmodic 
enthusiasm  which  gets  to  work  too  late  receives 
only  a  very  small  harvest  as  it  deserves. 

^^.  When  new  inemhers  are  received^  tactfully 
inform  them  of  the  financial  policy  of  the  church. 
Liberal  subscriptions  and  habits  can  be  secured  far 
more  easily,  for  both  church  support  and  benev- 
olences, while  their  first  warmth  continues. 
Educate  them  at  once  and  thoroughly  as  to  the 
principles  of  stewardship  and  the  spiritual  and  prac- 
tical significance  of  liberal  weekly  offerings.  One 
pastor  reports  that,  by  careful  work,  out  of  eleven 
hundred  members  received  during  twenty  years, 
over  ninety-eight  per  cent,  made  immediate  pledges. 

One  denomination  furnishes  to  all  pastors  free  a 
"  greeting  "  which  reads  about  as  follows : 

"  You  are  now  one  of  us  to  worship  with 
us.  Christ  says  of  His  followers :  '  Even 
as  thou.  Father,  didst  send  me  into  the 
world,  so  have  I  sent  them,'  so  that  Chris- 
tians are  under  obligation  to  forward  His 
work  by  every  possible  means.  Therefore 
you  will,  like  all  other  faithful  Christians, 
desire  to  begin  immediately  the  practices 
of  regular  attendance,  liberal  contributions, 
and  personal  service. 

"  Whether  it  be  large,  or  must  needs  be 


84  Modern  Church  Finance 

small,  our  church  expects  weekly  offer- 
ings, both  for  local  church  support  and 
for  the  benevolent  and  missionary  work 
of  our  denominations.  We  enclose  a  sub- 
scription form,  which  you  will  know  bet- 
ter how  to  fill  after  talking  with  the  rep- 
resentative who  will  soon  see  you.  We 
appreciate  your  willingness  to  cooperate 
with  us,  etc." 

Of  the  five  questions  asked  of  those  uniting  with 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  one  is :  "  Will  you 
contribute  of  your  earthly  substance,  according  to 
your  ability,  to  the  support  of  the  gospel  and  the 
various  benevolent  enterprises  of  the  church  ?  "  If 
this  vow  is  taken  at  the  altar,  it  usually  is  kept. 

In  one  church,  out  of  eighty-six  members  received 
in  two  years,  sixty  were  induced  to  begin  at  once 
the  practice  of  tithing. 

^5.  Hard  worh.  There  is  no  royal  road  to 
success  in  church  finance.  Kesults  gotten  without 
toil  and  patience  will  not  be  permanent.  Consecra- 
tion is  not  an  adequate  substitute  for  perspiration. 

If  any  churchman  is  looking  for  a  perpetual 
motion  system,  or  expecting  God  to  give  him  an 
Aladdin-like  success  without  liberality  and  energy, 
he  is  doomed  to  disappointment.  Money  cannot 
be  picked  up  in  the  street.  It  must  come  out  of 
the  pockets  of  the  members.  The  system  can  suc- 
ceed only  by  the  use  of  "  gray  matter  "  and  "  shoe 
leather."     God  puts  no  premium  on  indolence. 


VI 

Preparing  for  an  Efficient  Finance 
Campaign 

LIKE  any  other  successful  business,  the  an- 
nual campaign  for  new  and  enlarged  sub- 
scriptions must  be  prepared  for  with  energy, 
with  businesslike  attention  to  all  details  and  with  far- 
sighted  anticipation  of  all  obstacles  and  objections. 
Secure  from  your  denominational  headquarters 
and  from  other  denominations  leaflets  and  other 
material  which  will  help  enlist  your  ofiicers  and 
people  and  meet  your  problems.  "  Men  and  Mis- 
sions" and  other  publications  of  the  Laymen's 
Missionary  Movement  are  exceedingly  rich  in  prac- 
tical ideas. 

I.     General  Prepaeation 
Fix  the  date  for  the  canvass  two  months  in 
advance.     Keep  the  period  free  from  conflicting 
engagements  and  diversions. 

Choose  the  time  carefully.  The  best  prepara- 
tion may  end  in  disaster  at  an  unfavorable  season. 
Avoid  December  and  January  when  holiday  busi- 
ness, social  engagements,  stock-taking,  directors' 
meetings,  and  other  matters  absorb  the  attention. 
When  pocketbooks  are  lean  and  Christmas  bills  un- 

86 


86  Modem  Church  Finance 

paid,  the  canvassers  will  be  less  efficient  and  the 
people  less  liberal.  In  the  city,  avoid  vacation 
periods.  In  the  country,  avoid  harvest,  spring 
plowing  and  bad  roads. 

The  best  seasons  are :  November,  when  vacation 
bills  are  paid  and  all  the  forces  of  the  church  have 
been  rallied  and  enthusiasm  developed ;  the  pre- 
Lenten  season ;  immediately  after  the  Easter  activ- 
ities have  deepened  the  spiritual  enthusiasm,  pro- 
vided that  the  weather  is  not  too  favorable  for 
park  picnics  or  automobile  tours ;  or  immediately 
after  a  revival  or  other  intensive  spiritual  activities. 

Make  the  canvass  three  or  four  weeks  before  the 
finance  year  opens  to  allow  time  for  gathering  the 
scattering  pledges,  and  for  securing  and  distributing 
the  envelopes  so  that  every  one  may  deposit  the 
initial  envelope  on  the  first  Sunday. 

If  the  church  year  ends  with  December,  try  to 
make  the  canvass  in  November.  Many  churches 
make  the  canvass  three  or  four  months  before  the 
old  subscriptions  expire,  in  order  to  secure  the 
benefit  of  interdenominational  rivalry  and  coopera- 
tion. 

Sometimes  a  canvass  is  made  for  pledges  for 
fifteen  or  eighteen  months,  so  that  the  end  of  the 
church  year  may  be  changed  to  a  more  suitable 
season.  Sometimes  the  initial  canvass  is  made  in 
the  middle  of  the  year,  for  pledges  for  six  months 
only,  the  canvass  being  repeated  at  the  end  of  this 
period  with  larger  efficiency  in  view  of  the  lessons 
of  experience. 


Preparing  for  a  Finance  Campaign       87 

Begin  to  prepare  a  year  in  advance.  For  the 
best  canvasses,  the  preparation  of  officers  and  peo- 
ple began  years  before.  Make  notes  at  the  close 
of  each  canvass  of  objections  and  problems  met, 
and  as  to  weak  points  discovered  in  the  plans  and 
methods,  so  that  greater  efficiency  may  be  secured 
next  time. 

Develop  the  utmost  confidence,  enthusiasm,  har- 
mony and  loyalty.  Make  the  church  attractive 
and  worth  supporting.  Large  success  along  other 
lines  will  be  a  splendid  talking  point  and  will 
help  greatly,  for  "  nothing  succeeds  like  suc- 
cess." 

Adopt  and  announce  a  broad  and  constructive 
program  for  the  year  and  for  future  years,  includ- 
ing social  activities,  community  service,  missionary 
extension,  evangelism,  educational  and  spiritual 
efficiency,  etc.  Large  goals  will  induce  larger 
loyalty. 

If  the  campaign  is  made  in  November,  precede 
it  by  an  autumn  "  Go-to-church  "  or  rally  campaign 
of  four  or  six  weeks.  Make  repeated  social  visits  at 
each  home.  Give  free  entertainments  and  suppers 
for  the  entire  church  and  for  each  organization. 
Increase  to  the  utmost  the  attendance  and  mem- 
bership, the  spiritual  enthusiasm,  and  the  spirit  of 
loyalty  to  Christ,  the  church  and  the  officers. 

Before  a  February  or  March  canvass,  besides  the 
autumn  campaign  just  suggested,  make  a  New 
Year's  social  visitation,  followed  by  a  special  in- 
tensive educational  and  spiritual  program. 


88  Modern  Church  Finance 

Our  Qljurclj  Inbitation 

*Vcn<E  senD  pou  bp  tbe  13earet0  tbe  most  cotDfal 
^^  greetings  of  our  Cbuttb  anD  a  beattp  intiita- 
tfon  to  all  tbe  oeniices  anD  ptiuileges  an< 
nounreD  on  tbe  otbec  siQe  of  tbis  cacD. 
Cbis  Cburcb  toas  organiKO  (ot  felloUisbiP  in 
tbe  toocsbip  of  our  lorQ  3Iesus  Cbn'st;  (or 
mutual  belpfulness  in  tbe  fops  anD  sorrotos. 
tbe  labors  anD  aspirations  of  our  bearts  anD 
bomcs;  for  tbe  saoing  of  men  anD  tbe  tegenera> 
rion  of  societp. 

"icwnc  trust  pou  tDill  enter  fullp  into  all  of  its 

^a/  privileges  anD  opportunities.  Some  of  tbesc 

are  set  fortb  on  tbe  otber  siDe  of  tbis  carD. 

Come  anD  enjop  tbem  toitb  us.  pour  presence 

anD  potir  prapers  Uiill  promote  tbeir  sucress. 

IJF  not  members  of  anp  rburcb  toe  inDite  pou 
to  tome  anD  enter  into  fellotosbip  toitb  Cbrist 
in  our  Cburtb.  Jf  a  ^em&er  elsetobi^re  toouIO 
it  not  be  better  to  connect  pourself  toitb  out 
Ctburcb  tobile  pou  resioc  Ijere? 

Ijr  tbere  Is  anp  toap  pou  tbintt  our  Cburcb  can 
sertje  its  members  anD  tfcc  communitp  bcttct 
prap  let  us  bn^to. 

In  tte  name  of  tbt  Q^astec 

For  a  social  cauvass,  preceding  a  finance  cam- 
paign, hundreds  of  churches  have  used  the 
above  invitation  printed  on  high  grade  stock, 
in  two  colors. 

The  objection  that  "  they  never  come  to  see  me 
except  for  money  "  will  be  anticipated  if  frequent 
visits  are  made  by  laymen  and  women.  The  aver- 
age man  will  add  ten  cents  or  a  quarter  per  week 
to  his  subscription  in  appreciation  of  each  fifty-cent 
dinner  or  entertainment  given  free  to  himself  and 
his  loved  ones.  See  "A  Modern  Church  Program  "* 
for  detailed  outline  of  activities  which  will  greatly 
increase  the  spirituality  and  liberality  of  any  church. 

Order  duplex  envelopes,  treasurer's  supplies,  etc., 
early.  If  secured  during  the  summer,  a  more  lib- 
eral discount  is  made  on  them. 

*  By  Rev.  A.  F.  McGarrah.F.  H.  Revell  Co.,  50  cents, 


Preparing  for  a  Finance  Campaign       89 

Keep  church  support  and  benevolent  budgets 
distinct.  People  will  give  more  in  two  pledges 
than  in  one.  For  objections  to  what  is  known  as 
the  "  single  budget "  plan,  and  arguments  for  duplex 
envelopes,  see  Chapter  Y,  §  11,  T"  11. 

Fix  a  definite  goal  at  which  to  aim.  Prepare 
liberal  budgets  for  both  church  support  and  benev- 
olences, to  attain  which  will  require  the  utmost 
effort  for  two  or  three  years.  A  ten  per  cent,  in- 
crease will  challenge  no  enthusiasm.  Men  will 
meditate :  "  They  can  raise  that  without  my  in- 
crease." But  a  twenty-five  per  cent,  increase  in 
budget  arouses  them  to  say :  "  They  cannot  do  it 
without  my  help."  Secure  information  as  to  what 
the  most  liberal  and  efficient  churches  of  your  com- 
munity and  denomination  are  doing  and  compare 
their  per  capita  gifts  with  those  of  your  church,  to 
stimulate  the  spirit  of  emulation. 

The  current  expense  budget  should  include 
liberal  allowances  for  every  ordinary  need  (see 
chapter  on  the  Budget),  with  ten  or  twenty  per 
cent,  added  for  contingencies.  Make  provision  for 
explaining  and  justifying  each  item  in  the  budget, 
especially  those  which  are  increased,  to  the  con- 
gregation, through  printed  statements  and  public 
addresses.  People  will  not  invest  in  the  dark  or 
buy  a  hen  in  a  sack.  Plan  to  secure  it  all  in  ad- 
vance since  it  is  easier  to  pay  for  a  living  horse 
than  for  a  dead  one. 

If  the  officers  are  men  of  little  faith,  and  will  not 
adopt  an  adequate  benevolent  budget,  it  is  usually 


go  Modern  Church  Finance 

unwise  to  adopt  any.  Liberal  folks  will  notice  that 
it  is  only  one-fourth  as  large  as  the  other  budget 
and  will  pledge  accordingly,  while  others  will 
pledge  nothing.  Better  results  are  usually  secured 
by  simply  setting  forth  an  ideal  goal  for  the  future, 
"  as  much  for  others  as  for  ourselves  "  or  "  twenty 
cents  per  week  per  member  "  or  "  at  least  as  much 
as  will  support  a  missionary,"  asking  each  one  to 
do  first  their  full  duty  to  church  support  and  after- 
wards to  pledge  all  they  possibly  can  to  benev- 
olence, making  the  two  pledges  equal  if  they  are 
tithers,  unless  the  church  is  in  debt  or  very  poor. 

Appoint  an  efficient  committee  to  take  entire 
charge  of  the  preparation  and  the  canvass.  Secure 
democracy,  largest  wisdom  and  universal  coopera- 
tion by  having  strong  representatives  from  each 
board  and  department.  While  this  committee 
should  develop  the  policy  and  plans,  responsibil- 
ity for  results  should  be  lodged  in  a  small  execu- 
tive committee  of  not  over  three  or  five. 

Have  the  congregation  adopt  the  plan  by  a  rising 
vote  at  the  close  of  a  morning  service.  To  readopt 
it  in  the  same  way  each  year,  on  the  recommenda- 
tion of  the  officers  will  help  maintain  interest. 

Have  the  congregation  adopt  a  permanent  finance 
policy  as  suggested  in  Chapters  XVII  and  XIX. 
Introduce  the  various  features  gradually,  including 
none,  or  only  one  or  two,  of  the  new  features,  until 
the  plan  is  thoroughly  understood. 

Have  the  pastor,  or  a  special  committee,  prepare 
a  complete  card  list  of  the  constituency  two  or  three 


Preparing  for  a  Finance  Campaign        91 

weeks  before  the  canvass.  Include  the  name  of 
every  member  and  friend,  newcomer  or  absentee, 
six-year-old  or  grandfather,  since  all  should  be 
solicited.  This  list  will  include  from  twenty  to 
fifty  per  cent,  more  names  than  the  church  roll. 

Cards  can  be  made  out  for  each  individual  to  be 
canvassed,  or  all  members  of  a  family  can  be  put 
on  one  card.  (See  card  forms  on  next  pages.)  Du- 
plicate cards  or  lists  are  provided  the  captains  so 
that  they  may  check  the  initials  of  the  team  to  which 
each  name  is  assigned,  holding  them  responsible  for 
returning  the  card  with  a  pledge  or  with  such  re- 
port as  will  make  it  easier  to  send  another  team 
and  secure  pledges  promptly. 

Information  Cards  for  Canvassers 
These  cards  should  be  used  in  connection  with  the 
"  Alphabetical  List  of  Congregation  "  form  in  Chap- 
ter XI.     New  information  gained  by  canvassers 
should  be  noted  on  the  obverse  side. 


NAME 


REMARKS 


ADDRESS — 

Total  Given 
Last  Year 

Weekly 
Last  Year 

Asked  Weekly 
This  Year 

Pledged  Weekly 
This  Year 

Current 
Expenses  $ 

Current 
Expenses  $ 

Current 
Expenses  $ 

Current 
Expenses  $ 

Benevolences  ^ 

Benevolences  $ 

Benevolences  $ 

Benevolences  $ 

Information  card  for 
Canvassers  only. 


Not  to  be  shown  to  nor  signed 
by  person  canvassed. 


(This  form  used  in  M,  E.  Church.) 


92 


Modem  Church  Finance 


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Preparing  for  a  Finance  Campaign        93 

These  cards  must  include  all  information  which 
will  help  the  canvassers,  such  as  the  pledges  of  the 
preceding  year,  the  amounts  unpaid,  the  objections 
anticipated,  etc.,  and,  especially,  suggestions  as  to 
the  pledges  which  should  be  secured,  both  for 
church  support  and  for  benevolences,  should  be 
noted  after  each  name.  These  are  not  assessments 
but  tentative  suggestions,  prepared  by  two  or  more 
wise  persons  somewhat  conversant  with  the  ability 
of  those  to  be  canvassed.  The  amounts  suggested 
should  total  ten  or  twenty  per  cent,  more  than  the 
budget,  so  that  the  full  sum  will  be  secured,  even 
if  a  shrinkage  occurs.  Without  this  suggestion, 
canvassers  will  be  at  sea  as  to  what  they  should  ex- 
pect. Some  folks  are  already  pledging  all  they 
can,  but  many  should  double  or  treble  their  gifts. 
Many  do  not  realize  how  much  it  costs  to  run  a 
church  or  how  much  others  are  giving  who  are  no 
more  able.  Some  will  ask  the  canvassers,  "  What 
should  I  give  ? "  Sometimes  a  special  letter  an- 
nounces the  suggestions.  One  church  used  this 
form : 

Dea/r  Fellow-Member: — The  expense  budget  of 
our  church  for  the  coming  year  amounts  to  $3,200 
and  the  benevolence  budget  to  $2,000.  We  sug- 
gest that  you  and  your  family,  if  the  way  be  clear, 
contribute  $1.50  per  week  for  current  expenses  and 
$1.00  per  week  for  benevolences.  This  is  not  an 
assessment.  You  are  free  to  pledge  whatever  you 
will.  But  consider  the  matter  carefully  and  be 
prepared  to  make  your  pledge,  "  As  God  has  pros- 
pered you,"  when  the  canvassers  call  on  Sunday 


94  Modern  Church  Finance 

afternoon.  If  you  can  give  more,  we  will  appre- 
ciate it,  as  some  doubtless  cannot  pledge  what  we 
suggest.  Of  course  we  desire  that  each  member  of 
your  household  shall  share,  etc.     ... 

It  is  usually  wise  to  maintain  secrecy  on  this  point 
and  trust  to  the  wisdom  of  the  canvassers,  sending 
solicitors  of  peculiar  tact  to  those  who  should  make 
the  largest  increases. 

Send  informing  letters  to  each  one  who  is  to  be 
canvassed.  A  letter  to  every  child  old  enough  to 
read  will  emphasize  their  importance  and  duty. 
The  first  letter,  two  or  three  weeks  in  advance, 
will  simply  announce  the  canvass,  the  date  and  the 
general  plan.  A  second  letter  two  or  three  days 
before  the  canvass  will  give  full  details.  Do  not 
enclose  a  pledge  card.  Letters  should  be  not  too 
long.  Additional  items  can  be  printed  on  a  sepa- 
rate enclosure.  Special  letters  should  be  used  for 
children,  for  non -members  and  possibly  for  women. 
For  sample  letters,  see  Chapter  VII. 

Absentees  should  be  notified  by  letter  or  tele- 
gram and  their  pledges  secured  before  the  day  of 
the  canvass. 

The  efficiency  of  the  campaign  will  be  greatly 
increased  if  the  pastor,  the  captains,  or  a  special 
efficient  committee  will  personally  solicit  liberal 
advance  subscriptions  from  the  leading  givers  and 
the  canvassers.  Be  able  to  announce  that  "  one 
man  has  pledged  six  dollars  a  week  and  ^\q  others 
have  pledged  from  three  to  five  dollars  each  ; "  or 
that  "  ten  families  have  increased  their  pledges  over 


Preparing  for  a  Finance  Campaign        95 
A  Pledge  Fotm  Used  by  Episcopalians 


is. 


I 
I 


I 


96 


Modern  Church  Finance 


Pledge  Form  Used  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
(The  parts  relating  to  benevolences  are  printed  in  red.) 


FOR  THE 

SUPPORT  OF  THE  CHURCH 

AND   FOR 

THE  BENEVOLENCES 

DURING  THE  CURRENT  YEAR 
♦If    WILL    contribute  —  paying    or    laying 
"   by  ON  A  WEEKLY  BASIS— the  amounts 
indicated  by  X  on  this  card. 


FOR  OURSELVES 

Pastoral  Support,  viz. : 
Salaries  (Pastor,  District 
Superintendent,  Bishops, 
Conference  Claimants). 

Current  Expenses,  viz.  : 
Music,  Sexton,  Sunday 
School,  Heat,  Light,  Par- 
sonage, Repairs,  Insur- 
ance. 

Per  Week 


FOR  OTHERS 

The  Apportioned  Be- 
nevolences comprise  — 
Foreign  Missions,  Home 
Missions,  Freedmen's  Aid 
Society,Education,  Board 
of  Sunday  Schools,  Amer- 
ican BibleSociety,  Church 
Temperance  Society. 
(See  reverse  side.) 

Per  Week 


$ 

$ 

10.00 

10.00 

5.00 

5.00 

4.00 

4.00 

3.00 

3.00 

2.00 

2.00 

1.00 

1.00 

.75 

.75 

.50 

.50 

.40 

.40 

.25 

.25 

.21) 

.20 

.15 

.15 

.10 

.10 

.05 

.05 

.02 

.02 

.01 

.01 

^ 


•♦  At  least  as  much  for  Others  as  for  ourselves ' 
(Signed) „ 


Preparing  for  a  Finance  Campaign 

(Obverse  of  above.) 


97 


DESIGNATED  GIFTS 

I  desire  that  my  total  contribution 

"FOR  OTHERS"  amounting  to  $ 

be  divided  as  follows  : 


Board  of  Foreign  Missions   - 
Board  of  Home  Missions 

and  Church  Extension  - 
Freednaeu's  Aid  Society  -  - 
Board  of  Sunday  Schools 
Board  of  Education  -  -  - 
American  Bible  Society  -  - 
Church  Temperance  Society 


TOTAL  $- 


APPORTIONMENTS 

UNLESS  otherwise  instructed  Desigoa- 
ted  Gifts,  the  committee  will  divide 
the  "  Apportioned  Benevolences  "  ac- 
cording to  the  ratio  fixed  by  the  Commission 
on  Finance,  as  follows : 

Per  Cent 
44 
38 
7 
5 
3 
2 
I 


Board  of  Foreign  Missions 

Board  of  Home  Missions  &  Ch.  Ex. 

Freedmen's  Aid  Society 

Board  of  Sunday  Schools 

Board  of  Education 

American  Bible  Society 

Church  Temperance  Society 


THE  METHODIST  BOOK  CONCERN 
Price,  35c  per  xoo  Chicago 


98 


Modern  Church  Finance 


Pledge  Used  by  the  Baptists 


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Preparing  for  a  Finance  Campaign        99 

sixty-five  per  cent.,  making  up  one-third  of  our 
budget  so  that  we  can  easily  reach  it  if  all  will  do 
as  well ;  "  or  that  "  the  fifty  officers  and  canvassers 
have  pledged  twenty  dollars  a  week  for  benevolences 
which  is  more  than  the  whole  church  gave  last  year, 
and  have  increased  their  current  expense  subscrip- 
tion over  twenty  dollars  apiece,  making  an  increase 
of  eleven  hundred  dollars."  Such  announcements 
will  arouse  great  enthusiasm,  convincing  the  mem- 
bers that,  instead  of  being  driven,  they  are  simply 
invited  to  follow  the  officers  in  making  sacrifices. 


II.  Educational  Preparation 
Without  educational  seed-sowing  and  cultivation 
there  can  be  no  harvest.  Properly  carried  out, 
educational  preparation  will  add  enormously  to  the 
pledges.  Its  neglect  may  insure  failure.  The 
greatest  need  in  every  church  is  a  larger  vision  and 
clearer  concepts  of  what  Christianity  is. 

Throughout  the  year,  provide  in  the  church  and 
departmental  programs  for  imparting,  at  regular 
intervals,  fullest  information  concerning  the  finances, 
for  literature  distribution,  for  addresses  by  returned 
missionaries  and  others  and  for  stereopticon  lectures 
on  missions,  for  well-managed  monthly  missionary 
prayer-meetings,  for  occasional  sermons  with  mis- 
sionary and  stewardship  ideals  but  without  such 
labels  as  would  arouse  criticism.  One  Sunday  a 
month  is  frequently  designated  as  missionary  day 
when  the  opening  services  are  shortened  and  one  or 


100  Modem  Church  Finance 

more  men  or  women  occupy  ten  minutes  more  or 
less  with  brief  addresses  about  the  work  of  the 
church  at  large,  or  by  reading  letters  from  mission- 
aries or  students  or  retired  ministers  whom  the 
church  supports  wholly  or  in  part. 

Immediately  before  the  canvass,  conduct  a  pointed 
educational  campaign,  continuing  from  two  to  six 
weeks,  depending  upon  the  existing  interest,  the 
previous  preparation,  etc.  Bring  the  interest  to  a 
climax  just  before  the  canvass.  If  the  climax 
comes  too  soon,  or  if  antagonism  is  aroused  by  tact- 
less methods,  the  results  may  be  hurtful.  It  is  best 
to  use  such  indirect  themes  as  "  The  Influence  of 
Christianity  on  the  Chinese  Mind  "  or  "  Children  of 
All  Lands "  or  "  Missionaries  as  Commercial 
Agents  "  rather  than  "  foreign  missions."  After 
each  address,  distribute  one  or  more  suitable  leaflets 
at  the  exit  or  by  mail.  Invaluable  pamphlets  can 
be  secured,  free  or  at  nominal  cost,  through  your 
denominational  agencies ;  the  Laymen's  Missionary 
Movement,  1  Madison  Avenue,  New  York  ;  "  Mis- 
sionary Education  Movement,"  156  Fifth  Avenue, 
New  York ;  or  "  The  Church  Efficiency  Bureau," 
Chicago,  111. 

A  very  successful  pastor  used  these  themes  at 
eight  services  when  he  introduced  the  plan :  "  The 
Bible  and  Missions ; "  '*  The  Missionary  Problems 
and  Progress  of  To-day ;  "  "  The  Work  and  Oppor- 
tunities of  the  Presbyterian  Boards ; "  "  The  Prin- 
ciples and  Practice  of  Christian  Stewardship ; " 
"  The  Why  and  How  of  the  New  Financial  Plan ; " 


Preparing  for  a  Finance  Campaign      loi 

"Our  Local  Church,  its  Financial  Needs  and 
Methods ; "  "  God's  Plan  for  the  World  and  His 
Dependence  on  Us." 

Without  arousing  antagonism  by  announcing 
specific  subjects,  he  used  such  interesting  material 
that  the  people  were  delighted  with  the  series.  He 
exchanged  with  a  neighboring  pastor  who  was 
specially  qualified  to  speak  on  stewardship.  He 
converted  two  prayer-meeting  services  into  confer- 
ences to  answer  questions  and  meet  objections. 
With  his  oflBlcers,  he  prepared  and  mailed  a  letter  to 
every  member  setting  forth  clearly  the  essentials  of 
the  plan  and  the  financial  needs.  He  prepared  a 
special  leaflet  giving  a  summary  of  the  work  of  the 
boards,  and  distributed  much  other  literature.  He 
had  the  matter  intelligently  discussed  at  one  meet- 
ing of  each  society  of  the  church.  Of  course  he 
was  wonderfully  successful. 

A  thorough  educational  program  will  emphasize  : 

God's  ultimate  purposes  for  the  economic,  social 
and  missionary  redemption  of  the  world. 

Foreign  mission  progress  and  opportunity. 

America's  religious  problems  and  needs. 

The  need  of  Christian  education  and  leadership. 

Denominational  policies  as  to  finance  with  the 
duty  of  loyalty  to  them. 

Local  financial  needs  and  methods. 

The  duty  of  the  individual  member  to  support  the 
officers  and  the  plans  of  his  church,  with  the  re- 
minder that  whoever  fails  to  do  so  reduces  the  effi- 
ciency of  the  church  and  reduces  its  reputation  as 
compared  with  other  churches. 


102  Modern  Church  Finance 

Scriptural  ideals  as  to  stewardship. 

The  necessity  of  a  promptness  so  that  the  matter 
may  be  successful  and  further  appeals  obviated. 

The  spiritual  significance  of  businesslike  effi- 
ciency. 


A  special  stewardship  campaign  will  greatly 
help  to  insure  increased  subscriptions.  Study  "  A 
Man  and  His  Money,"  by  Dr.  Calkins.  Have  ser- 
mons and  addresses  given  by  the  pastor,  by  promi- 
nent laymen  of  other  churches,  and  by  liberal  mem- 
bers. Make  an  effort  to  induce  each  one  to  pledge 
a  definite  share  of  his  income  to  the  Lord's  work. 
Use  stewardship  pledge  cards  with  opportunity  to 
devote  five  or  ten  or  twenty  per  cent,  of  their  in- 
come. 

A  congregational  dinner  for  the  entire  constit- 
uency, just  before  the  canvass,  is  an  excellent  op- 
portunity to  arouse  optimism  and  promote  education. 
Have  the  women  and  children  present.  Insure 
a  crowd.  Do  the  dish- washing  after  the  speeches  or 
the  next  day.  Several  men  and  women  should 
speak  at  this  dinner,  and  at  the  prayer-meetings. 
Sell  supper  tickets  in  advance  in  order  to  insure  at- 
tendance, but  do  not  have  a  high  price  or  an 
elaborate  menu. 

Secure  outside  speakers.  A  strange  voice  with  a 
new  approach  will  greatly  reinforce  the  pastor's 
^vords.  Use  laymen  and  ministers  from  neighbor- 
ing churches  or  arrange  an  exchange  of  pulpits 
throughout  a  group  of  churches  or  an  entire  city. 


Preparing  for  a  Finance  Campaign      103 

If  possible,  secure  a  denominational  worker,  or  a 
finance  and  stewardship  expert,  for  addresses  and 
conferences,  since  officers  and  people  will  frequently 
give  more  attention  to  one  who  has  had  unusually 
wide  experience  and  constant  practice  in  stimulat- 
ing liberality,  meeting  objections,  arousing  enthusi- 
asm, and  who  need  not  fear  criticism  or  a  reduction 
of  salary  if  he  speaks  unpleasant  facts. 

Display  on  charts  the  amounts  contributed  for 
current  expenses  and  for  benevolences  during  the 
preceding  year  or  years,  together  with  the  average 
per  week,  per  member,  for  each  budget,  the  num- 
ber of  members  now  contributing,  etc.  Helpful 
maps  and  charts  and  wall  mottoes  can  be  prepared 
locally  or  secured  from  the  "  Missionary  Education 
Movement." 

Explain  fully  the  purposes  for  which  the  money 
will  be  used,  showing  that  not  a  cent  will  be 
wasted.  Kemember  that  repetition  is  necessary. 
Those  who  most  need  education  attend  irregularly, 
and  the  matter  must  be  emphasized  until  the 
officers  are  almost  weary  of  it.  Have  the  cam- 
paign repeatedly  presented  and  discussed  in  the 
various  society  and  departmental  meetings. 

The  prayer-note  should  be  dominant.  For  four 
mid-week  services  preceding  the  canvass,  one  pastor 
used  these  topics :  "  Prayer  for  the  work  in  foreign 
lands,"  "  Prayer  for  the  educational  and  missionary 
work  in  America,"  "  Prayer  for  the  local  church 
and  its  community,"  and  "  Prayer  for  the  success 
of  the  every-member  canvass,  for  the  committee, 


104  Modern  Church  Finance 

for  the  people  and  for  the  canvassers."  The  prayer 
subjects  should  correspond  with  the  preceding  ser- 
mon subjects.  Print  in  the  church  bulletin  specific 
objects  for  prayer.  Urge  the  members  to  pray 
daily  in  their  homes  for  the  campaign,  especially 
during  the  last  week.  Impress  the  fact  that  God 
is  a  partner  in  the  entire  campaign,  because  it  is 
part  of  His  program. 

Make  use  of  the  local  press.  Eeport  the  sermons 
and  the  suppers,  the  training  conferences  for  the 
canvassers  and  the  budgets  to  be  raised,  etc.,  in  the 
news  columns.  Give  interesting  details  concerning 
the  work  accomplished  during  the  past  year  and 
the  program  for  the  coming  year.  Use  paid  ad- 
vertisements, especially  if  an  interdenominational 
simultaneous  canvass  is  arranged.  Emphasize  the 
number  of  men  employed  and  the  results. 

In  a  city  of  15,000,  nine  churches  cooperated  in 
a  campaign  to  induce  every  citizen,  whether  church 
member  or  not,  to  subscribe  to  the  support  of  some 
church.  A  series  of  six  half-page  advertisements 
was  inserted  daily  during  the  week  before  the 
canvass  to  challenge  the  attention  of  those  who 
were  not  regularly  at  church,  who  are  unspiritual 
and  irregular  in  attendance.  The  themes  were, 
"  What  the  churches  have  done  for  our  town ; " 
"  The  economic  value  of  religion  and  the  church ; " 
"  The  social  value  of  religion  and  churches  ; "  "  If 
there  were  no  churches  in  Springfield?"  "Are 
Springfield  people  liberal  ?  " 

On  the  day  of  the  canvass,  close  the  educational 


Preparing  for  a  Finance  Campaign      105 

preparation  with  a  review  of  the  points  emphasized 
in  the  preceding  addresses.  Since  folks  have  a  habit 
of  discounting  what  the  pastor  says  about  money, 
and  since  many  will  be  greatly  impressed  by  the 
words  of  prominent  business  men,  have  a  "Lay- 
men's Service." 

For  example: — An  Indiana  pastor  announced 
seven  prominent  men  and  women  as  speakers. 
Their  names  were  so  advertised  as  to  attract  a 
record-breaking  attendance.  The  official  boards  of 
the  church  and  all  officers  of  departments  and 
societies  were  seated  on  the  pulpit.  One  speaker 
represented  each.  The  president  of  the  trustees 
explained  the  budget  and  the  need  of  more  money 
for  the  local  church,  the  duty  of  every  member  to 
share,  and  the  possibilities  through  business  methods. 
The  church  treasurer  emphasized  prompt  payments 
and  the  use  of  weekly  envelopes.  The  missionary 
committee  chairman  emphasized  the  obligation  of 
any  church  of  Christ  to  obey  His  last  command, 
and  of  the  local  church  to  treble  its  inadequate 
missionary  gifts.  A  layman  noted  for  his  liberality 
spoke  on  tithing,  rebuked  any  who  considered 
themselves  liberal  before  they  paid  a  tenth,  and  em- 
phasized the  fact  that  the  church  owed  no  apology 
for  asking  Christians  to  contribute  to  the  Lord's 
work.  The  women's  society  president  insisted  that 
every  woman  owed  a  duty  to  support  the  church 
liberally,  both  for  local  work  and  missions,  since 
the  church  is  itself  a  missionary  society.  A  Sab- 
bath-school representative  urged  the  importance  of 


io6  Modem  Church  Finance 

training  the  children  to  pledge  and  to  contribute 
weekly,  reminding  parents  that  this  is  an  essential 
part  of  worship  and  of  religious  education.  Others 
spoke  on  other  themes.  The  pastor  closed  the 
program  by  announcing  that  the  officers  and  can- 
vassers had  already  pledged,  making  large  in- 
creases, reminded  the  people  to  remain  at  home 
until  the  canvassers  arrived  and  emphasized  the 
necessity  of  prompt  and  liberal  pledges  so  that 
reports  might  be  made  at  the  evening  service. 

Finally  the  pastor  called  the  canvassers  to  the 
altar  to  receive  a  final  charge  and  to  be  ordained 
to  their  work.  After  a  solemn  reminder  of  the 
importance  of  the  canvass  and  of  its  spiritual 
significance,  the  congregation  rose  during  an 
earnest  prayer,  consecrating  the  day  to  the  work 
of  securing  funds  and  asking  God's  guidance  and 
blessing  for  the  canvassers  and  the  people.  Finally 
the  service  was  closed  by  singing  a  hymn  of  con- 
secration. 

The  opening  services  should  usually  be  shortened 
md  the  talks  should  be  carefully  prepared  for  such 
a  service  so  as  not  to  overlap  or  overrun  the  time. 
The  pastor  should  consult  with  the  speakers,  help- 
ing them  to  prepare  so  that  a  logical  order  will  be 
secured  and  no  points  will  be  overlooked. 

Kemind  the  members  of  their  covenant  vows 
when  they  professed  their  faith.  One  church 
issued  a  little  folder  bearing  on  the  first  cover 
page:— 


Preparing  for  a  Finance  Campaign      107 

My  Pledge  to  My  Church. 

This  is  what  I  promised  when  I  united 

with..„ Church.     Let  me  see  if 

I  remember  it. 


{On  the  inside  pages ;] 

Your  minister  asked : 

"Having  now  witnessed  a  good  confession  of 
your  faith,  you  do  now  separate  yourself  from  the 
world  and  enter  into  solemn  covenant  with  this 
church,  promising  to  walk  with  it  in  the  fellowship 
of  the  Gospel  and  in  all  its  ordinances  and  institu- 
tions ;  to  study  to  promote  the  peace  and  unity  of 
this  church;  to  watch  in  love  and  faithfulness 
over  its  members ;  to  submit  to  its  discipline  /  to 
sanctify  the  Sabbath ;  to  attend  upon  the  public 
worship  of  the  sanctuary ;  to  observe  the  sacra- 
ments of  the  New  Testament ;  to  aim  at  increasing 
holiness  of  heart  and  life,  and  to  do  all  in  your 
power  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  good  of  men. 
Sensible  of  your  infirmities,  but  relying  upon 
promised  grace,  you  do  now  take  upon  you  these 
pvhlic  and  solemn  vows." 

Your  response — "  I  doP 

I  am  glad  to  have  this  copy  of  my  promises.  It 
will  help  me  to  remember  them,  and  I  will  try  and 
keep  them  better  from  now  until  He  calls  me  to 
come  up  higher. 

"  And  all  the  tithe  of  the  land,  whether  of  the 
seed  of  the  land,  or  of  the  fruit  of  the  tree,  is  the 
Lord's :  it  is  holy  unto  the  Lord." 


lo8  Modern  Church  Finance 

"  Bring  ye  all  the  tithes  into  the  storehouse,  that 
there  may  be  meat  in  mine  house,  and  prove  me 
now  herewith^  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  if  I  will  not 
open  you  the  windows  of  heaven  and  pour  out  a 
blessing,  that  there  shall  not  be  room  enough  to 
receive  it." 

If  I  neglect  to  contribute  through  the  envelope 
system,  I  fail  to  keep  a  part  of  my  pledge. 


vn 

Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas 

FEW  canvasses  are  properly  prepared  for  by 
the  use  of  printed  matter.  Printers'  ink  used 
in  church  calendars,  folders,  letters,  etc.,  is 
invaluable.  An  advertising  expert  might  well  be 
employed  to  help  manage  the  campaign.  These  let- 
ters, calendar  extracts,  etc.,  should  prove  suggestive. 

IFirst  letter  preceding  a  canvass.^ 

This  Letter  is  Concerning  the  KING'S  BUSINESS. 

It  is  IMPORTANT*    Please  Read 

It  Carefully 

To  the  Memhers  of  the „„ - 

Churchy  Bible  School  and  Congregation: 

Dearly  Beloved  : 

In  accord  with  the  united  plan  of  at  least 
forty  denominations  besides  our  own,  the  officers 
of  this  church  have  adopted  the  "  Every  Member 
Budget  Plan  of  Systematic  Giving." 

As  the  phrase  implies,  this  means  the  enlistment 
of  every  member  of  the  Church,  Bible  School,  and 
Congregation,  so  far  as  possible,  in  the  actual  sup- 
port and  work  of  the  Church.  Too  frequently  is  it 
true  that  the  major  share  of  the  work  and  financial 
support  of  any  Church  is  borne  by  a  small  pro- 
portion of  its  members,  rather  than  by  every  one 

109 


no  Modern  Church  Finance 

helping  according  to  his  ability.  If  all  members 
contribute  their  share  regularly,  not  only  will  the 
burdens  of  the  few  be  lightened,  but  the  many  will 
feel  a  more  vital  and  personal  interest  in  their  own 
Church  and  its  welfare.     For, 

**  Where  our  treasure  is,  there  will  our  heart 
be  also. " 

It  is  our  hope  then  that  every  member  of  the 
congregation,  including  the  smallest  child  in  the 
Bible  School,  may  have  his  own  set  of  duplex  en- 
velopes, through  which  his  offerings  may  be  made, 
weekly  or  otherwise,  both  for  the  support  of  the 
local  Church,  and  for  its  Missionary  and  Benevolent 
activities  at  home  and  abroad.  By  enlisting  the 
child's  interest  thus  early  in  the  work  of  the  Church, 
he  is  more  apt  to  maintain  a  growing  interest 
throughout  his  life ;  and  this  applies  not  only  to  his 
financial  interest,  but  it  tends  to  quicken  and  conserve 
his  spiritual  interest  as  well.  These  contributions 
to  the  support  of  the  local  Church  and  its  Benevo- 
lences are  to  be  calculated  on  the  weekly  basis,  in 
order  that  the  smallest  interest  may  be  encouraged. 

The  Board  of  Trustees  will  distribute  the  Local 
Church  Support  funds  as  occasion  requires  in  meet- 
ing the  Current  Expenses  of  the  congregation,  in- 
cluding the  Pastor's  salary,  music,  Bible  School 
supplies,  printing,  janitor,  fuel,  light,  property 
maintenance,  etc. 

Contributions  to  Benevolences  or  Missions  will 
be  distributed  according  to  the  preference  of  the 


Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas       1 1 1 

individual  contributor;  or,  if  no  preference  is  ex- 
pressed, according  to  the  discretion  of  the  officers 
as  guided  by  the  recommendations  of  the  General 
Assembly  and  Presbytery,  and  to  specific  needs  as 
occasions  demand.  Nine  per  cent,  of  the  entire  be- 
nevolence will  be  credited  to  the  Bible  School,  and 
distributed  by  it  among  its  benevolent  objects.  One 
per  cent,  of  the  entire  amount  will  be  credited  to  the 
Christian  Endeavor  Society  to  be  distributed  by  it. 

The  contributions  of  The  Woman's  Missionary 
Union  and  The  Westminster  Guild  to  the  specific 
Missionary  Work  of  those  Societies  are  not  included 
in  this  budget ;  but  it  does  include  all  contribu- 
tions of  women  to  the  General  Benevolences  of  the 
Church,  in  which  every  woman  should  share. 

The  Minimum  Budget  for  the  support  of  the 
local  Church,  as  estimated  by  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees, is  $10,000.00.  Our  Benevolence  Budget  is 
not  so  easily  designated ;  but  the  ideal  Church  is 
one  in  which  gifts  for  others  at  least  equal  dis- 
bursements for  themselves.  We  hope  that  this 
ideal  condition  may  soon  be  realized  in  this  Church. 
However,  as  a  large  increase  to  the  support  of  the 
local  Church  is  needed  it  is  requested  that  none 
decrease  their  pledges  to  that  fund. 

Inasmuch  as  this  plan,  as  tried  in  many  churches, 
placing  the  Benevolences  along  with  the  Current 
Expenses  on  a  business  basis,  has  proven  to  be  satis- 
factory, eliminating  special  appeals  for  gifts  from 
the  pulpit  (except  as  special  and  rare  occasions  re- 
quire), it  should  meet  with  the  hearty  support  and 


1 1 2  Modern  Church  Finance 

response  of  the  people  of  our  Church,  that  we  may 
"  Bring  the  whole  tithe  into  the  storehouse  and  prove 
Jehovah  of  hosts,  if  He  will  not  open  the  windows 
of  heaven  and  pour  out  a  blessing,  that  there  shall 
not  be  room  enough  to  receive  it "  (Malachi  iii.lO). 
Very  fraternally  yours  in  Christ, 

The  Every  Member  Committee. 


One  week  later,  the  following  letter  was  sent : 

To  the  Memhers  of  the 

Church,  Bible  School  and  Congregation: 
Dearly  Beloved  : 

That  you  may  fully  understand  the  new 
plan  of  Finance,  we  enclose  one  of  the  Contribu- 
tion Cards  and  an  exhibit  of  the  Envelope  to  be 
used,  so  that  you  may  have  ample  time  to  consider 
the  matter  before  you  are  called  on. 

On  next  Sunday  p.  m.,  between  2 :  30  and  5 :  30, 
a  team  of  two  canvassers  will  call  at  each  home  to 
express  the  good-will  of  the  church  and  to  receive 
subscriptions  from  every  member  of  the  church  and 
Sunday-school.  Will  you  please  remain  at  home 
to  welcome  them  and  to  make  a  second  call  un- 
necessary. 

The  letter  mailed  to  you  last  week  explains  the 
plan  in  detail.  If  you  have  not  read  it  carefully, 
please  do  so  that  the  canvassers  may  be  spared  the 
time  necessary  to  explain  it. 

As  you  see,  all  subscriptions  are  calculated  on 


Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas       113 

the  weekly  basis,  unless  you  prefer  to  make  yours 
otherwise.  If  you  now  contribute  to  the  support 
of  the  local  church  in  pew  rentals  or  otherwise  you 
can  pay  this  on  the  weekly  basis.  Do  not  decrease 
the  amount  you  are  now  paying. 

In  making  your  subscription  for  Benevolences, 
let  us  suggest  that  you  make  it  total  at  least  the 
amount  of  all  your  previous  offerings,  in  the  course 
of  a  year,  for  the  various  Benevolent  Agencies  indi- 
cated on  the  Contribution  Card,  and  as  much  more 
as  possible. 

Contributions,  both  for  Church  Support  and  for 
Benevolences,  may  be  paid  monthly  or  quarterly,  if 
you  prefer,  but  weekly  envelopes  will  be  sent  to  all 
alike,  through  which  payment  may  be  made  accord- 
ing to  your  expressed  preference.  A  quarterly  re- 
ceipt and  statement  will  be  sent  to  each  subscriber. 

Contributions  from  the  younger  children  should  of 
course  be  made  with  their  parents'  consent  and  advice. 

Our  Motto  is :  A  contribution^  however  small, 
conscientiously  made,  from,  every  'inemher,  hoth  to 
Current  Expenses  and  to  Benevolences. 

Yery  sincerely  yours  in  Christ, 
(Names  of  members  of  the  Committee.) 

[Exhibit— Duplex  Envelope.l 
The  following  is  the  form  of  Duplex  Envelopes 
(perforated  through  the  center)  to  be  delivered  to 
each  Contributor  in  a  Carton  containing  a  dated 
envelope  for  each  Sunday  in  the  year,  all  bearing 
the   uniform   number  of  the  Contributor,   which 


114 


Modern  Church  Finance 


number  and  name  will  be  entered  in  the  Treasur- 
er's books.  The  envelope  will  be  2^^  x  4^  inches  in 
size.  Each  side  will  be  a  separate  and  complete 
envelope,  the  Benevolence  side  being  printed  in  red 
to  distinguish  it. 


o 

6 

z 

to 

o. 
•< 

>^ 

•< 
o 

z 

=3 
GO 

c 
<- 

"  Bring  an  offering  and  come  into  His 
courts:*— Psa.  g6:8 

Foreign  Missions— Our  Parish  Abroad. 

Home  Missions— Church  Extension,  City 
Evangelism,  Immigration  Work  and 
Church  Ereqtion  in  Mission  Fields. 

Sabbath  School  Work  and  Publication, 

Ministerial  Relief  and  Sustentation. 

Aid  for  Colleges.     Temperance. 

Ministerial  Education.     Freedmen. 

Bible  Society.    Training  School. 

The  Presbyterian  Hospital,  etc. 

Is 

|£ 
IS 

I; 
1^ 

to 

.Jl 

ce 
a. 

<: 

2j 

o 

</> 

o 

d 

z 

(^ 

ri 

■fa    ^ 

o  u 

II 

1 

Pastor's      Salary,     Music,     Printing,     Bible 
School     Supplies,      Janitor,      Fuel,      Light, 
Property  Maintenance,  etc. 

HIGHLAND    PARK,  ILLINOIS 

"  Every  member  a  Share-holder  and  a 
regular  supporter  " 

Please  bring  or  send  Contributions  regularly. 
In   case  of  omission   for  one  or  more  weeks 
enclose  the  whole  amount  due  with  the  first 
offering  made  and  destroy  unused  envelopes. 

THIS  SIDE  FOR  OURSELVES 

Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas       115 

[Letter  used  by  a  wealthy  suburban  church  of  five  hun- 
dred members  abandoning  Pew  Rents  and  adopting 
the  '•''New  System.^^'] 

This  letter  concerns  an  important  and  urgent 
matter,  and  deserves  your  careful  and  prompt 
attention 

To  the  PewJwlders  and  Contributors  to  the 
Expenses  of  the —  Church : 

Dear  Brethren  : 

The  busiaesslike  administration  of  church 
finances,  including  local  church  support  and  mis- 
sions and  benevolences,  has  been  receiving  the  care- 
ful study  of  the  leaders  of  the  church  for  the  past 
few  years.  Their  conclusions  have  found  expression 
in  the  recent  action  of  the  legislative  bodies  of  our 
church  (and  similar  bodies  in  other  denominations), 
adopting  and  recommending  to  all  the  churches 
the  "Every  Member  Budget  Plan  of  Systematic 
Giving." 

This  plan  with  its  advantages  was  presented  by  the 
pastor  in  his  sermon  last  Sabbath.  Briefly  stated, 
it  means  the  raising  of  all  church  revenues  (includ- 
ing benevolences)  by  subscriptions,  through  the 
enlistment  of  every  member  of  the  congregation, 
by  a  "  Personal  Canvass  "  conducted  by  the  otBcers 
of  the  church.  All  pledges  are  solicited  on  the 
weekly  basis ;  and  every  subscriber  (including  the 
children)  is  given  a  carton  of  numbered  duplex 


1 1 6  Modern  Church  Finance 

envelopes,  one  for  each  Sunday  in  the  year,  through 
which  to  make  these  offerings. 

This  plan  has  been  thoroughly  tested  by  tens  of 
thousands  of  churches,  and  has  proved  eminently 
successful  and  satisfactory.  It  encourages  regular 
systematic  giving  as  an  act  of  worship;  and  dis- 
tributes the  financing  of  the  church  and  its  benevo- 
lences to  a  larger  number,  that  each  one  may  do 
his  part  regularly  so  that  no  one  may  be  burdened 
unduly. 

Following  the  example  of  many  aggressive  and 
efficient  churches,  and  desiring  to  place  our  church 
on  the  best  possible  financial  basis,  the  elders  and 
trustees  in  a  joint  meeting  last  Sunday  afternoon 
unanimously  voted  to  adopt  this  plan,  in  compliance 
with  the  recommendations  of  the  General  Assembly 
and  the  Presbytery  of  Chicago. 

Those  present  at  this  meeting  believed  that  this 
plan  would  enlist  the  cooperation  and  hearty  sup- 
port of  a  larger  number,  if  we  put  all  pledges  for 
the  support  of  the  local  church  on  a  "  Subscription  " 
basis  rather  than  on  the  "  Pew  Kental "  basis,  as 
at  present.  Accordingly,  a  resolution  was  unani- 
mously adopted  advocating  the  abandonment  of 
"Pew  Kentals  "  and  the  substitution  of  " Contribu- 
tions to  the  Local  Church  Support,"  with  "  Assign- 
ment of  Sittings." 

This  change  would  simply  mean  that  those  who 
now  have  sittings  or  pews  would  continue  to  occupy 
them,  if  they  so  desire,  as  "  Assigned  Pews  "  rather 
than  as  "  Rented  Pews  "  (the  names  of  pewholders 


Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas       117 

being  omitted  from  the  pews) ;  and  that  there  be 
no  reduction  in  the  amounts  now  being  paid,  such 
being  continued  as  "  Contributions  to  the  Current 
Expense  Fund  "  ;  and  that  all  such  assigned  sittings 
be  reserved  each  Sunday  morning  for  their  occu- 
pants until  the  beginning  of  the  service. 

Since  many  feel  the  system  of  "  Renting  Pews  " 
is  hurtful  to  them  and  to  the  church  and  a  hindrance 
to  the  cooperation  and  support  of  some,  and  since 
the  great  majority  of  churches  in  this  presbytery 
and  throughout  the  country  have  already  made 
this  change  advantageously,  we  heartily  commend 
it  to  you  as  the  best  policy  for  this  church. 

We  are  addressing  this  letter  to  all  of  the  present 
pewholders  requesting  that  each  make  reply  on 
the  attached  coupon  and  return  it  at  once  in  the 
enclosed  envelope. 

For  the  Session, ,  Moderator. 

For  the  Trustees, ,  President. 

(Coupon  with  above  letter.) 

To  the  Officers  of  the Church  : 

I  am  (  )  in  favor  of  the  proposed  change 
from  *'  Rented  Pews ''  to  "  Assigned  Pews,"  as  out- 
lined in  your  letter  of  the  twelfth  inst. 

Remarks : 

Signed 


Address- 


1 18  Modem  Church  Finance 

[^Letter  for  a  down-town  church  losing  its  constituiencp 
and  meeting  other  problems.'] 

To  the  Members  and  Supporters  of  the 

Church  : 

This  letter  will  explain  the  Canvass  to  be 
made  next  Sunday  afternoon  and  evening  in  the 
interest  both  of  Church  Support  and  the  Missionary 
Benevolent  agencies  of  our  whole  denomination. 

This  Canvass  was  determined  upon  at  the  last 
Congregational  Meeting,  held  January  14, 1916.  It 
is  hoped,  in  the  first  place,  to  secure  a  definite  weekly 
pledge,  or  its  equivalent,  from  every  member  of 
this  Congregation  for  current  expenses.  For  this 
purpose,  i.  e.,  for  Minister's  Salary,  Sexton,  Music, 
Heat,  Light,  Kepairs  and  Sundry  Expenses,  at 
least  $8,000  are  needed. 

Are  you  doing  your  part? — At  present,  some 
contribute  nothing  to  current  expenses.  It  is  evi- 
dent that  these  are  not  doing  their  part.  It  is 
expected  that  such  as  apparently  are  not  giving 
according  to  their  ability  will  increase  their  con- 
tributions. Others,  already  giving  as  much  as  can 
rightly  be  expected  of  them,  are  only  expected  to 
continue  to  give  as  they  have  done. 

Present  income  inadequate. — Ours  is  a  needy 
field  and  our  work  is  more  urgent  since  other 
churches  have  removed,  yet  increased  contributions 
for  current  expenses  must  be  had  or  our  expenses 
must  be  curtailed.  The  Trustees  reported  a  deficit 
at  the  last  Congregational  Meeting.     They  now  in- 


Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas       119 

form  us  that,  in  view  of  the  losses  through  deaths 
and  removals,  as  well  as  repairs  to  the  Church 
building  that  must  be  made  during  the  comiug 
year,  an  increase  of  at  least  $2,000  is  absolutely 
necessary.  It  is  hoped,  therefore,  that  as  many  as 
possible  will  materially  increase  their  contributions. 

Missions  and  'benevolences. — It  is  hoped  by  this 
Canvass,  in  the  second  place,  to  secure  a  definite 
weekly  pledge  from  every  member  of  this  Congrega- 
tion for  the  missionary  and  benevolent  work  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  Subscriptions  to  benevolences 
must  not  be  increased  by  decreasing  subscriptions 
to  current  expenses.  But  it  is  expected  that  every 
member  will  subscribe  to  these  causes.  This  obliga- 
tion that  rests  upon  you  both  because  you  are  a 
Christian  and  because  our  Assembly  has  repeatedly 
declared :  "  The  Presbyterian  Church  is  a  Missionary 
Society,  the  object  of  which  is  to  aid  in  the  Evan- 
gelization of  the  World,  and  every  member  of  the 
Church  is  a  member  for  life  of  said  Society  and 
bound  to  do  all  in  his  power  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  this  object."  There  is,  of  course,  practically 
no  limit  to  the  amount  that  can  be  wisely  used. 
Every  one  should,  therefore,  give  as  largely  as 
possible  to  carry  out  this  "World  Task  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,"  in  the  light  of  the  Apostolic 
Injunction :  "  Upon  the  first  day  of  the  week  let 
every  one  of  you  lay  by  him  in  store,  as  God  has 
prospered  him." 

How  imdesignated  gifts  are  disi/ributed. — The 
Session  will  distribute  your  contribution  as  fol- 


120  Modern  Church  Finance 

lows  : but  in  case  you  indicate  how  you 

want  your  contribution  distributed,  your  wish  will 
be  strictly  observed,  though  care  should  be  taken 
to  give  even  amounts  to  each  cause,  for  convenience 
in  bookkeeping. 

The  women's  societies. — The  Women's  Societies 
are  expected  to  continue  to  make  their  contribu- 
tions as  heretofore.  The  Every  Member  Canvass 
is  not  intended  to  affect  this  phase  of  their  work. 
At  the  same  time,  women  are  members  of  the 
Church,  which  is  the  Missionary  Society,  and 
under  present  conditions  they  only  contribute  to 
three  Church  Boards.  They  are  not  exempt  from 
the  obligation  to  give  with  the  rest  of  the  congrega- 
tion for  the  whole  missionary  and  benevolent  work 
of  the  Church. 

Every  one  includes  children. — This  is  an  Every 
Member  Canvass.  It  is  expected  that  each  member 
will  subscribe  both  to  current  expenses  and  benevo- 
lences, and  not  merely  the  heads  of  families.  Chil- 
dren take  an  increased  interest  in  the  Church  and 
its  work  if  they  have  their  own  envelopes,  and 
will  thus  be  taught  the  habit  of  regular  and  pro- 
portionate giving.  Children  should  give  from  their 
own  earnings.  Where  this  is  not  possible,  parents 
should  grant  them  an  allowance  for  this  purpose, 
even  though  the  doing  of  this  necessitates  a  reduc- 
tion of  the  amount  they  give  in  their  own  names. 
It  should  be  remembered  in  this  connection  that 
giving  is  an  act  of  worship — this  explains  in  part 
why  this  canvass  is  madq  on,  the  Sabbath  day— 


Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas       121 

hence  it  would  be  just  as  illogical  for  parents  to 
pray  for  their  children  without  teaching  them  to 
pray  as  it  is  for  parents  to  give  for  their  children 
without  teaching  the  children  themselves  to  give. 

We  trust  that  you  will  give  this  matter  your 
earnest  and  prayerful  consideration.  As  Christian 
men  and  women  the  welfare  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  should  be  our  first  concern.  Whatever  else 
we  neglect  we  must  not  neglect  this.  We  feel 
confident  that  you  will  assist  the  Canvassers  by 
responding  to  their  solicitations  as  promptly  as 
possible,  so  that  they  may  be  able  to  complete  their 
work  next  Sunday  afternoon  and  evening.     You 

will  be  interested  to  know  that have 

been  appointed  to  call  on  you  and  solicit  your  sub- 
scription. 

In  behalf  of  the  Session  and  the  Trustees. 


[First  Letter:  To  he  sent  about  a  month  before  the 
canvass.     Extracts  only.l 

To  the  Members  of  the „ „ Church: 

Dear  Friend  : 

Our  church  has  a  resident  membership  of 
about  400,  only  154  of  whom  are  listed  as  regular 
contributors  to  its  current  expense  and  missionary 
budgets.  After  careful  consideration  our  church 
has  decided  on  an  Every  Member  Canvass  on  Sun- 
day afternoon,  March  14th. 
The  amount  needed  for  current  expenses  during 


122  Modern  Church  Finance 

the  coming  year  is  $6,000.  Our  present  income 
is  about  $4,800,  so  that  we  need  to  increase  our 
current  expense  income  $1,200  a  year. 

In  order  to  underwrite  the  entire  budget,  our 
church  must  average  $15  per  member  per  year  for 
current  expenses,  or  about  twenty-nine  cents  per 
member  per  week. 

We  send  this  preliminary  notice  to  bespeak  your 
careful  and  prayerful  consideration  of,  and  your 
most  hearty  cooperation  in,  this  matter. 

Cordially  yours, 


Chairman  of  Committee. 
Pastor. 


^Second  Letter  :  To  be  sent  a  few  days  before  the 
canvass.'l 

Dear  Friend  : 

The  Committee  in  charge  of  the  Every 
Member  Canvass  desires  to  remind  you  again 
that  next  Sunday,  March  14th,  is  the  day  upon 
which  two  members  of  the  Committee  expect  to 
call  upon  you,  between  the  hours  of  two  and  six 
o'clock.  It  will  help  to  make  the  day  a  blessing  to 
our  church,  and  our  undertaking  a  success,  if  you 
will  plan  to  be  at  home  and  ready  to  welcome  your 
visitors. 


Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas       123 

We  wish  to  remind  you  that,  in  making  our 
pledges  for  the  coming  year,  we  need  to  keep  in 
mind  two  things : 

1.  That  the  benevolence  fund  of  our  church 
should  be  increased  that  we  may  no  longer  be 
guilty  of  spending  at  least  three  times  as  much 
upon  ourselves  as  we  give  to  others. 

2.  That,  to  adequately  provide  for  our  Home 
Expenses,  we  must  increase  our  income  ;gl,200  a 
year. 

We  ask  each  one  to  help  make  this  possible. 
Each  member  of  the  church  will  recognize  that  this 
is  a  reasonable  request.  We  hope  that  our  church 
will  make  as  commendable  a  record  with  these 
methods  as  other  churches  throughout  the  country 
are  making,  etc. 

Do  not  forget  that  next  Sunday  is  "  EoU  Call 
Sunday  "  and  we  want  every  one  at  the  morning 
service. 


[A  working  people^s  church  which  had  raised 
siocty-five  per  cent,  by  fair s^  etc.'] 

To  our  Members  and  Friends : 

Do  you  know  that  many  churches  are  in  dis- 
repute and  contempt  with  many  business  men  be- 
cause of  the  lax,  slipshod  and  inefficient  business 
methods  they  use  ?  Why  shouldn't  a  church  do  its 
business  efficiently  and  be  able  to  hold  its  head  up 
in  a  business  way  with  other  organizations  ? 
Do  you  know  that  for  fifteen  years  a  band  of 


124 


Modern  Church  Finance 


women  have  faithfully  and  uncomplainingly  borne 
the  brunt  and  burden  of  the  responsibility  of  this 
church,  together  with  thirty  or  forty  regular  con- 
tributors, many  of  whom  also  belonged  to  this 
band? 

Isn't  it  about  time  that  every  member  of  this 
church  and  congregation  which  receives  its  blessing 
and  help  should  do  his  or  her  share  as  the  Providence 
of  God  has  prospered  him  or  her  materially,  that 
the  burden  may  be  justly  distributed  ? 

God  has  made  it  plain  in  His  Word  that  giving 
is  a  spiritual  matter,  an  act  of  worship.  On  such  a 
basis  the  appeal  will  be  made  to  you. 

Next  Sunday  the  solicitors  for  the  church  will 
call  on  you  for  your  pledge  for  the  coming  year. 
You  will  not  be  asked  to  give  beyond  your  means, 
but  to  return  to  God  in  part  as  you  can  conscien- 
tiously and  willingly  do  of  that  He  has  blessed  you 
with,  etc. 

A  folder  was  enclosed  as  follows : 


iPag^i.-] 

Our  Li 
Salaries 
Coal     . 

abilities  foi 

m 
'                      •                     1 

r  191i 

? 

•    $1,560.00 
160.00 

Gas      - 

>                     • 

60.00 

Electricity  - 
Per  Capita  Tax   • 
Telephone   - 

• 
• 

50.00 
25.00 
30.00 

Eepairs 
Miscellaneous 

•                     ■ 

486.00 
160.00 

$2,600.00 


Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas       125 

Out  Hesources  on  Every  Member  Plan  : 

With  a  resident  membership  approximating  125, 
the  average  is  forty  cents  per  week  per  member. 
However,  a  number  of  our  young  people  and  a  few 
older  are  not  in  a  position  to  meet  this  average. 
Therefore  every  one  should  make  as  large  a  pledge 
as  possible.  Will  you  do  your  part  ?  The  Assets 
column  on  next  page  shows  how  the  amount  can 
perhaps  be  most  fairly  divided  among  om*  member- 
ship. 

{Page  2.^ 


10  members  at  $1.00  weekly    • 

.    $10.00 

10  members  at 

.75  weekly    - 

7.50 

30  members  at 

.50  weekly    • 

-      15.00 

50  members  at 

.25  weekly    - 

.       12.50 

9  members  at 

.20  weekly     • 

1.80 

10  members  at 

.10  weekly 

1.00 

6  members  at 

.05  weekly 

.30 

L25  members 

$  48.10 

Total  pledges 

.        -      $ 

2500.00. 

Bememler :  This  appeal  to  you  is  made  in  a 
Christian  spirit — in  the  spirit  of  Him  who  made  the 
Perfect  Gift  of  His  own  life  for  the  world's  redemp- 
tion. Therefore,  make  your  return  in  a  Christian 
spirit.  Whatever  your  gift — be  it  great  as  the  rich 
might  give  or  only  the  mite  the  widow  gave — it  is 
the  spirit  of  the  gift  that  counts  in  God's  cause. 
Let  it  be  loving,  willing,  from  the  heart.  If  not, 
don't  give  at  all.  This  church  cherishes  the  penny 
from  the  heart  of  the  child  as  much  as  the  greater 
gifts  from  richer  members. 


126  Modern  Church  Finance 

GIVE  I 
"  Give  as  you  would  if  an  angel 
Awaited  your  gift  at  the  door  ; 
Give  as  you  would  if  to-morrow 

Found  you  where  waiting  is  o'er  ; 
Give  as  you  would  to  the  Master, 
If  you  met  His  searching  look  ; 
Give  as  you  would  of  your  substance, 
If  His  hand  the  offering  took.^^ 

*'  Give  and  it  shall  be  given  unto  you,  good  measure, 
pressed  down,  and  shaken  together  and  running  over.'' 

**  Freely  ye  have  received,  freely  give." 


[^Letter  explaining  new  items.] 

The  budget  for  expenses  of  the  First  Methodist 

Episcopal  Church  of for  the  conference  year 

commencing  October  1,  1915,  speaks  for  itself.    It 
is  as  follows : 

Pastoral  Support,  Pastor,  District 
Superintendent,  Bishops,  Confer- 
ence Claimants     -        -        -        $3,390.00 
Deaconess    Secretary    and    book- 
keeper         600.00 

Janitor 720.00 

Fuel  and  Light     -        -        -        .  620.00 

Music 800.00 

Bepairs  and  up-keep     -        -        •  500.00 
Printing,  postage,  publicity,  extra 

speakers,  etc.     ....  500.00 

Support  of  Olivet  Church     -         -  300.00 

Debt  sinking  fund        -        -        .  1,000.00 

Sunday-school       -        -        .        -  770.00 

Total $9,200.00 


Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas       127 

Items  which  apparently  increase  the  budget 
over  last  year : 

Sinking  Fund,   to  cover 

debt  from  last  year    -    $1,000.00 

Sunday-school       -        -  770.00 

Deaconess  Secretary      -  600.00 

Olivet  subscription        -  300.00 

Increase  on  pastor's  salary  250.00 

Increase  for  music  -  300.00 
Estimate  for  extra  speakers, 

etc.    -        -        -        -  160.00 


Total         -        •        -      $3,370.00 

Items  saved  as  compared  with  last  year  : 

Associate  Pastor  -        •        -    $1,000.00 

Financial  Secretary     -        -        -         100.00 
Extra  Income,   not  in  last  year's 
budget  (amount  raised  by  Sun- 
day-school last  year)         -        -        700.00 

$1,800.00 
Total  to  deduct  from  above 

increase  -        -        -        $1,800.00 
Actual  increase  of  budget 

over  last  year  -        -        $1,570.00 

There  is  an  apparent  increase  in  the  budget  from 
last  year  of  $1,570.  An  actual  analysis  really  does 
not  show  it.  In  the  past  we  have  blinded  ourselves 
to  actual  needs  and  necessities.  The  money  was 
raised  or  else  there  was  a  deficit,  and  for  years  a 
deficit  has  been  carried  over  in  the  fund  from  one 
year  to  the  other,  besides  the  special  collections  and 
special  campaigns  to  raise  money  to  take  care  of 
this  and  that. 


128  Modern  Church  Finance 

It  costs  you  and  me  and  every  member  of  the 
church  less  if  the  finances  are  put  upon  a  business 
basis  than  if  they  are  permitted  to  continue  in  a 
haphazard  manner.  We  are  not  blaming  you  nor 
any  member  of  the  church.  We  all  share  the  blame 
if  there  is  any. 

It  will  take  less  money  to  subscribe  this  budget 
than  if  we  fall  short  and  have  to  borrow  money  at 
interest  and  go  down  in  our  pockets  to  pay  the 
deficit.  Subscribe  to  the  budget  your  proportion 
and  you  will  not  be  asked  for  Sunday-school  collec- 
tions or  other  collections  for  our  local  work.  The 
budget  covers  everything,  besides  the  deficits  ac- 
crued from  every  previous  year. 

In  making  your  subscription  cover  everything, 
add  together  what  you  have  paid  to  the  budget,  the 
Sunday-school  and  occasional  extra  collections. 
After  adding  this  together  every  member^s  sub- 
scription should  be  increased  at  least  thirty  per 
cent,  over  last  year.  Some  have  voluntarily  in- 
creased their  subscriptions  from  fifty  to  one  hun- 
dred per  cent. 


[A  Church  in  severe  straits  making  an  ap'portionment.'\ 

Dear  Friend  : 

As  officers  of  your  Church,  we  beg  your 
cheerful  and  prayerful  consideration  of  this  letter. 

Spiritually    we    are    prosperous,   but    we   have 
reached  a   financial  crisis,  due  to  various   causes 


Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas       129 


which  we  will  not  stop  to  relate.  This  crisis  must 
be  immediately  met  or  we  must  give  up  our  pastor, 
discontinue  our  services  and  close  our  doors.  We 
feel  that  you,  and  each  other  member,  will  be  will- 
ing to  come  to  the  rescue  and  to  do  your  utmost  to 
prevent  such  a  dire  calamity  and  disgrace  to  us  as 
a  church,  and  such  a  blow  to  the  cause  of  Christ. 

Our  financial  condition  is  briefly  as  follows :  It 
requires  $3,000  a  year  to  meet  our  current  expenses. 
We  should  have  this  amount,  a  weekly  income  of 
$57.67,  subscribed.  Instead,  we  only  have  at  pres- 
ent subscriptions  amounting  to  $1,898  per  year  or 
$36.50  weekly.  Some  eighty  members  make  no 
definite  subscription. 

Debt  On  Church  Frope^^ty. 
Mortgage  ....        $3,050.00 


inierest    -        -        .        . 
Total    -        -        .        - 

Ittii.UU 

$3,233.00 

Debts  for  Current  JExpense, 

KoteinBank  ....        $    250.00 

Interest    - 

15.00 

Organ  Eepair 

22.25 

Mrs.  Plested     - 

36.00 

Janitor     - 

30.00 

Pastor  for  July 

166.66 

Light  to  July  1st 

19.10 

Total      ... 

Whole     indebtedness    August    1, 
1909 


$    539.01 
$3,233.00 


$3,772.01 


130  Modern  Church  Finance 

The  $539  owed  by  the  current  expense  fund 
should  be  paid  at  once,  but  the  treasury  is  empty. 

At  a  joint  meeting  of  the  ofl&cers  it  was  agreed 
to  entirely  reorganize  our  financial  methods  so  that 
EACH  MEMBER,  including  children,  should  bear  a 
portion  of  the  current  expenses  ;  and  that  hereafter, 
to  be  considered  a  member  in  good  standing,  each 
ONE  should  make  and  pay  a  subscription  to  the 
current  expenses,  if  not  more  than  five  cents  per 
week.  Exception  to  be  made  only  for  those  who 
have  nothing  to  give,  or  who  render  service  to 
the  church  which  otherwise  would  have  to  be  paid 
for. 

It  was  agreed  also  to  make  a  suggested  appor- 
tionment, stating  to  each  member  the  least  amount 
we  will  need  to  receive  from  that  person  in  order 
to  raise  the  full  amount  of  $3,000  needed.  This  is 
no  new  plan.  It  is  the  one  used  by  many  churches 
of  all  denominations.  It  is  only  an  attempt  to  ap- 
ply sound  business  principles  to  the  affairs  of  the 
church.  We  appeal  to  you  to  help  us  maintain  the 
existence  of  our  church  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
extension  of  the  Master's  Kingdom,  by  cheerfully 
entering  into  this  plan. 

We  urge  also  the  importance  of  paying  your  sub- 
scription in  weekly  installments,  through  envelopes 
that  will  be  furnished,  that  we  may  pay  all  bills  as 
we  go  and  keep  out  of  debt.  The  amount  we  would 
suggest  as  your  apportionment  for  current  expenses 
would  be  at  least  (  )  per  week.     You  will 

be  called  upon  by  solicitors  within  a  few  days. 


Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas       131 

Please  subscribe  more  than  this  if  you  can  in  order 
to  help  pay  our  mortgage  debt. 

We  beg  of  you  a  careful  and  prayerful  considera- 
tion of  this  matter.  The  life  of  our  church  de- 
mands it. 

Sincerely  yours, 


[Letter  to  non-resident  me^nbers."] 

Dear  Friend  : 

Moved  by  a  sense  of  our  responsibility  as 

officers  of  the Church,  and  in  obedience  to 

the  recommendation  of  the  General  Assembly,  we 
are  addressing  this  letter  to  you. 

Because  of  the  large  number  whom  we  must  thus 
address,  making  it  impracticable  to  write  to  each 
personally,  we  trust  you  will  consider  this  a  per- 
sonal communication. 

We  are  convinced  that  we,  like  other  Churches, 
have  two  classes  of  non-resident  members. 

First : — Those  who,  while  conscientious  in  their 
attendance  upon  the  ordinances  of  the  Church  when 

they  were  in ,  have  become  careless  in  their 

new  homes.  Not  having  identified  themselves  with 
the  Church  life  in  their  communities,  they  are  losing 
immeasurably  in  the  matter  of  privilege  and  duty. 

If  you  helong  to  this  clasSj  we  urge  you,  for  your 
own  spiritual  welfare,  your  influence,  and  the  glory 
of  our  common  Kedeemer,  to  choose  a  Church  home, 
ask  us  for  a  letter  of  dismission  thereto,  and  take  up 


132  Modern  Church  Finance 

the  responsibilities  and  fellowship  of  Church  life 
in  your  present  home. 

Second: — Those  who,  while  conscientious  in  the 
discharge  of  religious  duties  in  their  new  home, 
have  failed,  for  reasons  which  seem  good  to  them, 
to  take  their  letters  from  the Church. 

If  you  belong  to  this  class ^  we  ash  you  to  exam- 
ine these  reasons  anew,  and  ask  yourself  if  they  are 
sufficient  to  justify  the  loss  which  we  fear  you  must 
sustain  by  not  being  enrolled  as  an  active  member 
of  the  Church  in  your  own  Community. 

We  are  not  insensible  to  the  ties  which  bind  us 
all  to  the  old  Church,  wherever  we  may  be ;  nor 
are  we  lacking  in  sentiment  when  we  write  thus. 
We  are  actuated  solely  by  the  spiritual  reasons 
which  we  have  already  given. 

If,  after  consideration  and  prayer,  it  seems  best 
to  you  to  allow  your  membership  to  remain  in  our 
Church,  we  would  mention  another  fact. 

Our  General  Assembly  Assessment,  our  appor- 
tionments and  the  other  benevolent  enterprises  of 
our  Church  at  large  are  based  upon  our  Church 
membership  as  reported  to  the  Assembly.  If  a 
large  number  of  our  members  are  noiv-resident  and 
non-contributing^  it  follows  that  their  share  for  these 
causes  must  be  jpaid  by  the  resident  Qnembership,  or 
else  our  church  must  fall  below  its  jprojport/ion  in  the 
matter  of  contributions^  and  lose  its  standing  in  a 
measure. 

We  are  sure  that  you  do  not  intend  either  to  be 
tho  case,  and  that,  when  your  attention  is  called  to 


Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas        133 

the  fact,  you  will  send,  at  stated  intervals,  such  con- 
tributions as  you  may  be  able  to  make  to  the  above 
mentioned  causes,  so  long  as  you  may  remain  a 
member  of  this  Church.  We  are  aware  that  de- 
mands are  made  upon  you  in  your  present  home, 
and  yet  we  are  convinced  that  the  loyalty  of  love 
will  prompt  you  to  do  this  if  you  wish  us  to  con- 
sider you  a  member. 

We  have  lately  completed  an  Every  Member  Can- 
vass of  our  congregation  for  contributions  to  church 
support  and  general  benevolence.  Our  ideal  is  to 
have  each  member  share  in  the  activities  of  the 
Church  at  home  and  abroad.  Will  you  not  help  us 
to  realize  this  ideal  ? 

Contributions  should  be  sent  to  Mr.  John  W. 
Milam,  Treasurer,  with  note  as  to  how  the  same  are 
to  be  used. 

Very  cordially  yours, 


[  Giving  financial  details.  ] 

To  the  Friends  and  Members : 

Occasional  questions  are  asked  the  oflBcers 
of  our  church  regarding  certain  financial  obligations. 
At  the  joint  meeting  of  the  Trustees,  Deacons  and 
Elders  to-day  in  the  chapel  we  decided  to  give  a 
full  account  of  our  resources  and  liabilities.  It 
afiPords  us  great  pleasure  to  send  a  detailed  state- 
ment so  that  every  member  may  fully  understand 
the  situation  and  contribute  intelligently. 


134  Modern  Church  Finance 

"We  are  greatly  encouraged  with  our  outlook. 
A  number  of  our  people  have  volunteered  to  in- 
crease, some  even  to  double,  their  subscription  for 
the  support  of  the  church.  The  attendance  at  Sun- 
day-school and  preaching  services  has  been  increas- 
ing and  the  Sabbath  morning  service  surpasses  our 
anticipation.  The  pastor  is  doing  all  he  can  to 
promote  the  welfare  of  our  organization  and  he 
deserves  our  hearty  cooperation  to  make  all  de- 
partments successful. 

We  reported  265  members  in  April,  though  we 
have  many  more  on  our  roll  in  whom  we  have  a 
deep  interest  and  to  whom  our  pastor  is  giving 
much  attention. 

On  the  Main  Church  building  we  carry  ^^1 6,000 
fire  insurance :  ;^2,666  on  the  organ ;  ;$2,313  on  the 
carpet,  pews  and  other  furniture ;  $4:36  on  gas  and 
electric  light  fixtures;  $S56  on  the  heating  appa- 
ratus, and  the  balance,  ^^10,229,  on  the  building 
itself.  The  Chapel  is  insured  for  ;^2,000,  and  the 
Manse  for  |I4,500,  of  which  ;^150  is  on  the  barn. 
The  New  Albany  Trust  Company  holds  policies  for 
;$2,500  to  secure  their  loan  on  that  property  and 
we  carry  the  balance  of  ;^2,000.  Our  insurance  is 
in  twelve  policies  in  nine  companies. 

Mr.  H.  E.  Barrett  is  special  trustee  for  the  Caro- 
line Sloan  Endowment  Fund  amounting  to  ^2,T00 
which  is  temporarily  placed  as  a  first  mortgage  loan 
on  the  Manse. 

At  the  time  the  Manse  was  purchased  for  ;^6,500 
the  Caroline  Sloan  Fund  of  ;^2,700  was  utilized  and 


Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas       135 

the  balance,  ;^3,800,  was  borrowed  from  the  New 
Albany  Trust  Company,  who  took  a  second  mort- 
gage. Of  this  ;^3,800  we  have  paid  ;^2,060  which 
leaves  a  balance  of  ;^  1,740  at  6  per  cent,  payable 
semi-annually.  October  14th,  interest  on  this  loan 
amounting  to  ;^52.98  was  due. 

The  Ladies'  Sewing  Society  recently  expended 
;$214  in  beautifying  the  Chapel,  on  carpet,  floor 
paper  and  linoleum,  wall  paper,  cleaning,  laying 
carpet  and  repairs.  All  amounts  have  been  paid  in 
full  except  the  carpet,  on  which  they  owe  1^51.50. 

Mrs.  Mary  HoUman,  Aid  Society  treasurer,  has 
on  hand  $36.74:. 

Mrs.  Mary  Collins,  Deaconess'  Fund  treasurer,  has 
on  hand  ;^29.85. 

Our  present  financial  standing  is  as  follows : 

Eesources  October  15th 

Property  on  Bank  Street     •        -  $30,000 

Manse 6,600 

Caroline  Sloan  Fund   •        -        -  2,700 


$39,200 


Liabilities  October  15th 
New  Albany  Trust  Co.    Loan      -    $1,740.00 
New  Albany  Trust  Co.    Interest,  52.98 


Bonds  due  June  1,  1914 

Note,  New  Albany  National  Bank 

Note,   New  Albany  Second   Na 

tional  Bank      ... 
8.  W.  Vance,  insurance  premium 
New  Albany  Trust  Co.,  insurance 

premium 


$1,792.98 

1,400.00 

250.00 

100.00 
44.00 


12.00 


136  Modern  Church  Finance 

Plumer  and  Co.    -        -        -        -  28.45 

Mrs.  W.  A.  Hedden,  organist     -  150.00 

Pastor  on  September  salary         -  50.00 


Total  indebtedness  -        -        -    $3,827.43 

This  showing  is  very  encouraging.  From  this 
;^3,827.43  we  may  in  a  sense  dismiss  from  our  minds 
the  ;^1,400  due  on  bonds  in  June,  1914,  and  the 
debt  on  the  Manse,  for  the  good  women  have  gen- 
erously undertaken  that  work,  and  whatever  they 
start  to  do  they  finish  energetically.  This  leaves  a 
debt  of  only  ^634.45. 

Our  budget  per  annum  is  as  follows : 

Pastor's  Salary    ...        -    $1,500.00 

Organist      -        .         -        -        -  150.00 

Sexton 240.00 

Fuel  and  Light,  estimated  -        -  150.00 

Incidentals           .        .        .        ,  100.00 

Interest        -        .        -        -        .  185.46 

Insurance 170.00 


$2,495.46 


The  congregation  ought  at  once  to  subscribe  an 
amount  equal  to  the  budget  plus  ^634.45  making  a 
total  of  ;^3,129.91. 

This  will  materially  decrease  our  interest  account 
and  wipe  out  old  debts  which  have  been  hanging 
over  us  for  years.  If  we  do  this,  our  budget  next 
year  will  be  decreased  ^200  on  the  insurance  and 
interest  account. 

We  anticipate  your  hearty  approval  of  the  above 


Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas       137 

report  and  a  generous  response  when  the  officers 
call  on  you  for  your  subscription.  It  is  evident 
that  those  who  subscribed  last  year  will  need,  as  a 
number  have  already  volunteered  to  do,  to  increase 
their  contributions  if  it  is  possible,  and  we  trust 
that  all  will  be  prepared  to  give  cheerfully  and 
generously. 

We  are  your  servants  in  the  Lord, 

Elders,  Deacons  and  Trustees. 


ITo  friends  not  members  of  the  church,'] 

Dear  Friend  : 

While  you  are  not  a  member  of  our  church, 
we  take  the  liberty  of  writing  you  as  one  of  its 
friends  and  neighbors.  We  enclose  a  statement 
of  our  work  and  plans  believing  you  will  be  inter- 
ested ;  also  a  subscription  card,  trusting  you  will 
help  support  the  work  which  the  Church  is  doing 
for  this  community,  and  for  benevolences.  There 
are  persons  on  our  books  who  give  from  five  cents 
to  ten  dollars  per  week.  Any  amount  you  feel  in- 
clined to  give  will  help  the  church  to  do  a  still 
greater  work  and  will  greatly  encourage  us. 

Your  subscription  need  not  begin  till  January, 
but  we  are  now  making  up  our  budget  for  next 
year. 

Thanking  you  in  advance  for  any  substantial  in- 
terest, we  are, 

Yery  sincerely  yours, 


138  Modern  Church  Finance 

[Second  letter  for  new  mbscriptions.'] 
DearM : 


Some  days  ago  we  wrote  you  asking  for  a 
subscription  for  191 — .    We  hesitate  very  much  to 

write  you  again,  but  next  year  is  the year 

of  our  church's  life  and  we  are  quite  anxious  to 
mark  this  year  by  enlarging  our  service  by  enlarg- 
ing our  pledged  income.  We  would  greatly  appre- 
ciate it  if  you  will  pledge  any  amount  you  feel  like 
giving.  We  have  our  regular  meeting  next  week 
to  fix  up  our  budget  for  the  following  year.  We 
trust  you  will  be  willing  to  respond  and  to  favor  us 
before  that  date  ? 
Let  us  thank  you  in  advance  for  your  help. 

Yery  sincerely  yours, 


[For  renewaUy  when  no  canvass  is  nuide,'\ 

Dear  Mr. : 

You  are  already  supporting  our  church,  and 
we  greatly  appreciate  your  help  in  the  past.  We 
have  adopted  the  same  system  for  next  year,  and 
we  desire  you,  therefore,  to  renew  your  subscrip- 
tion on  the  enclosed  card.  We  need  an  increase  of 
twenty  per  cent,  in  income  and  hope  you  can  make 
such  an  increase  or  more,  since  some  cannot  make 
any  increase. 
We  would  also  request  that,  instead  of  one  mem- 


Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas       139 

ber  of  the  family  giving  for  all,  each  member  sub- 
scribe for  himself.  We  most  earnestly  desire  each 
one — old  and  young  alike — to  be  represented  on 
our  books,  in  order  that  each  may  have  a  share  in, 
and  feel  a  personal  responsibility  for,  the  institution, 
hence  we  enclose  cards  for  each  member  of  your 
household. 

You  may  mail  the  enclosed  card  to  the  treasurer, 
Mr. ,  or  put  it  on  the  collection  plate. 

Kindly  return  it  at  your  earliest  convenience,  so 
that  our  plans  for  next  year  may  not  be  delayed. 
We  shall  appreciate  your  courtesy  in  so  doing. 

Unless  we  hear  from  you  by ,  we  shall  at 

least  count  on  you  to  continue  your  present  pledges. 

Very  sincerely  yours, 


[To  members  of  the  Sunday-school^  who  are  not  church 
member s."] 

My  Dear : 


Although  you  are  not  yet  a  member  of  the 
church,  you  attend  the  Sunday-school,  which  is 
part  of  the  church.  We  enclose  a  card  asking  you 
to  become  a  regular  subscriber.  We  ask  this  be- 
cause we  want  you  to  feel  that  you  have  a  share  in 
the  church  work.  If  you  can  only  give  a  few  cents 
a  week,  or  only  one  cent,  do  not  hesitate  to  give 
that.  Many  small  amounts  added  together  will  be 
a  real  help  to  the  church. 


140  Modern  Church  Finance 

If  you  return  the  enclosed  card,  we  will  send 
you,  Christmas  week,  a  package  of  envelopes  just 
like  those  which  the  grown  people  use,  except  that 
they  are  printed  in  red  instead  of  black.  You  may 
take  the  envelopes  with  you  to  Sunday-school,  or 
put  them  on  the  church  plate. 

Pocket  No.  2  is  for  offerings  to  Missionary  work. 
We  suggest  that  you  give  to  these  causes  out  of 
your  own  earnings  or  out  of  your  own  allowance. 
It  is  a  good  thing  to  acquire  the  habit  of  giving  to 
unselfish  objects. 

Thanking  you  for  an  early  reply,  we  are 

Very  sincerely  yours. 


[To  he  sent  to  new  members  of  the  ChurchJ^ 


My  Deak  Mr. : 

You  have  recently  united  with  our  church, 
and  we  give  you  a  most  hearty  welcome  into  it  and 
its  family.  Confident  that  you  will  be  glad  to 
regularly  support  your  new  church  home,  we  en- 
close a  subscription  card. 

The  Church  depends  entirely  for  its  support  on 
voluntary  contributions.  Whether  the  amount  you 
give  be  large  or  small  is  a  matter  for  you  alone  to 
say,  but  we  trust  you  will  not  hesitate  to  pledge 
some  amount,  even  if  it  is  not  as  large  as  you  would 
like  to  make  it.  The  spirit  of  sacrifice  back  of  a 
gift  is  quite  as  important  as  its  size. 


Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas       141 

Wo  strongly  recommend  the  weekly  envelope 
plan,  because  it  enables  us  to  meet  our  obligations 
promptly,  and  because  the  kind  of  envelope  we  use 
furnishes  you  the  best  method  of  making  offerings 
to  the  great  missionary  enterprises  of  the  Church 
at  large. 

You  may  mail  the  enclosed  card  to  the  treasurer, 

Mr. ,  or  put  it  on  the  collection  plate,  or 

hand  it  to  the  minister,  Mr. . 

Thanking  you  for  an  early  reply,  we  are 

Very  sincerely  yours, 


^Letter  the  second  year,] 

Dear  Friends  : 

The  Every  Member  Canvass  with  its  accom- 
panying features  of  individual  pledges  to  both  the 
Current  Expense  and  Benevolence  Budgets,  and  the 
use  of  the  duplex  weekly  envelopes  for  the  con- 
venience of  subscribers  in  paying  their  pledges,  met 
such  favor  with  the  people  when  the  pledges  were 
solicited  and  proved  so  pronounced  a  success  in  pro- 
viding a  constant  income  through  the  year  that  the 
Session  and  Trustees  have  adopted  it  for  the  new 
fiscal  year  which  begins  April  1st.  In  so  doing  we 
are  in  line  with  our  General  Assembly's  recommend- 
ations and  with  progressive  churches  the  coun- 
try over.  (Then  follows  a  statement  of  budget, 
plans,  details,  suggestions  as  to  increases,  children, 
etc.) 


142  Modern  Church  Finance 

[Letter  from  the  Dean  of  the  Cathedral  (P.  ^.), 
8t.  Louis,'] 

{Suggestive  and  Inspiring) 

The  real  question  before  us  is — providing  by  the 
envelope  plan  for  $200  per  week.  It  goes  without 
saying  that  we  must  give  of  that  which  we  have. 
We  are  all  equally  interested  and  ought  to  have  an 
equal  share.  Those  who  have  much  should  give 
plenteously,  and  those  who  have  little  should  do 
their  diligence  gladly  to  give  of  that  little.  Every 
one  on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  according  as  God 
hath  prospered  him.  This  congregation  is  made  up 
of  all  sorts  and  conditions.  Some  of  us  may  give 
ten  dollars  per  week,  when  others  can  give  only  ten 
cents  per  week,  each  according  to  ability. 

While  the  pledge  is  made  on  a  weekly  basis,  it 
may  be  paid  weekly,  monthly  or  quarterly,  accord- 
ing to  convenience. 

The  plan  is  simple  and  definite.  It  is,  in  the  ex- 
perience of  many  congregations  throughout  the 
country,  proving  successful  and  efficient.  There  is 
no  reason  why  it  should  not  succeed  with  us.  But 
it  requires  that  we  should  all  fall  in  line,  support 
the  Chapter  in  its  plan,  and  give  it  a  thorough  trial. 
All  of  us,  who  are  deeply  interested  in  the  work, 
desire  that  this  Cathedral  shall  be  a  home  for  all 
people.  Some  of  us  can  give  time  and  service, 
some  of  us  can  give  money ;  but  on  one  thing  we 
are  agreed.  We  do  not  desire  that  any  man, 
woman  or  child  shall  feel  that  the  doors  of  this 
Church  are  closed  to  them  for  the  lack  of  money. 


Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas       143 

Eich  and  poor  alike  should  feel  that  this  is  their 
Father's  House,  and  that  they  may  find  here  a 
cordial  welcome. 

We  have  a  great  heritage  from  the  past,  we  are 
set  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  and  at  the  center  of  the 
Diocese.  A  large  social  service  work  stares  us  in 
the  face. 

I  know  how  varied  are  the  interests  that  claim 
our  attention,  but  without  hesitation  I  maintain 
that  to  all  of  us  who  belong  here,  this  Cathedral 
and  its  work  easily  claims  first  place. 

In  the  midst  of  a  teeming  population  of  sorrow- 
ing and  sinning  humanity  we  are  to  hold  aloft  the 
Cross  of  the  Son  of  Man  as  the  balm  in  all  sorrow 
and  the  cure  for  all  sin.  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
through  His  Church  is  carrying  on  His  work  to- 
day and  you  and  I  are  called  to  be  His  agents.  His 
representatives,  His  fellow  workers.  No  privilege 
or  opportunity  which  the  world  can  give  compares 
with  that — fellow  workers  with  the  living  God. 
All  we  have  and  are  we  have  received  of  Him,  all 
we  have  and  are  we  owe  to  Him,  all  we  have  and 
are  we  are  bound  to  use  for  Him. 

We  ought  not  to  give  grudgingly,  we  must  long 
to  do  all  we  can  to  make  this  work  fitly  represent 
the  Master  whom  we  serve.  Our  gifts  should  be 
but  the  tokens  of  our  love  and  desire  that  His  name 
may  be  known  to  all  men — His  tenderness.  His 
pity.  His  love.  Along  with  them  shall  go  our 
prayers  that  He  may  accept  and  bless  our  offer- 
ings, though  we  are  unworthy  to  offer  Him  any 


144  Modern  Church  Finance 

gift.  The  wonder  of  His  love  is  nowhere  more 
truly  shown  than  in  the  fact  that  He  who  has 
given  us  all  should  be  glad  to  receive  back  some 
small  portion  and  accept  it  as  a  token  of  our  love. 

Dearly  Beloved,  we  are  living  in  a  marvellous 
time.  A  time  of  prosperity  and  luxury  and  wealth, 
and  whether  we  have  much  or  little,  we  are  all 
spending  too  much  on  bodily  comforts  and  adorn- 
ments, and  counting  them  necessaries.  We  know 
it,  many  of  us  regret  it,  and  hardly  any  of  us  know 
how  to  avoid  it.  We  feel  bound  to  live  as  others 
do,  to  take  an  interest  in  ail  that  goes  on  around 
us,  to  keep  as  it  were  our  place  in  our  circle — and 
that  takes  all  we  have. 

Perhaps  you  saw  the  clipping  from  the  diary  of 
a  woman  who  had  a  hundred  dollars  a  week  and 
kept  a  strict  account  of  all  she  spent.  The  last 
item  was  thirty-five  cents — twenty-five  cents  for  an 
ofifering  in  Church  and  ten  cents  for  the  Woman's 
Auxiliary  dues.  It  was  all  she  had  left  at  the  end 
of  the  week.  Taking  a  friend  to  lunch  and  the 
matin6e  had  cost  ten  times  that  amount. 

Most  of  us  spend  all  we  have,  and  there  is  only 
one  way  to  give  to  God  a  due  proportion,  and  that 
is  to  set  aside  for  God  and  His  work  some  portion 
of  our  income  and  use  it  for  Him  and  not  for  our- 
selves. The  Jew  set  aside  one-tenth.  It  was  part 
of  his  religion.  St.  Paul  was  brought  up  with  that 
idea,  but  he  gave  the  spirit  of  it  when  he  said,  **  ac- 
cording as  God  hath  prospered  you." 

Sometimes  we  grow  weary  of  speaking  of  money 


Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas       145 

so  often.  Many  in  this  congregation  do  not  need 
reminding  of  their  responsibility  because  they  give 
so  generously  and  quickly,  give  as  God  has  pros- 
pered them,  feeling  it  their  greatest  privilege  to  re- 
turn to  God  the  gifts  He  has  so  abundantly  show- 
ered on  them.  These  people  are  the  greatest  com- 
fort and  inspiration  and,  whether  they  can  give 
much  or  little,  the  spirit  is  the  same.  They  give 
not  grudgingly  or  of  necessity,  but  gladly  and 
thankfully. 

I  would  not  advocate  the  tithe  as  a  duty.  In 
the  complex  industrial  conditions  in  which  we  live, 
for  some  a  tenth  would  take  away  the  necessities 
of  life  and  for  others  a  tenth  would  not  take  away  a 
single  luxury.  But  I  do  believe  that  our  money  is 
a  trust  from  God  and  that  each  one  of  us  should 
set  aside  some  definite  proportion  of  our  income 
and  use  it  for  God's  work.  The  principle  involved 
is  that  which  comes  in  prayer.  It  is  our  recogni- 
tion that  all  we  have  is  from  God  and  that  we  re- 
turn to  Him  some  definite  portion  as  a  token  and 
recognition  of  the  fact.  Gviie  on  principle,  not  as 
a  whim,  not  because  some  tender  chord  is  touched, 
not  from  mere  sentiment. 

We  want  that  spirit  to  grow  and  increase.  When 
our  giving  has  hecome  our  privilege,  it  will  hecom^e 
as  much  apart  of  our  religion  as  our  prayers. 

"  Must  I  pray  ?  " — will  not  develop  a  spirit  of 
devotion. 

"  May  I  pray  ?  " — will  draw  us  close  to  the 
Father  and  we  shall  feel  and  know  His  love. 


146  Modern  Church  Finance 

[J.W  Indiana  Church  Finance  Survey. '\ 
It  seems  that  the  470  members  whose  names  ap- 
pear in  our  new  manual  represent  219  families, 
but  regular  contributions  are  made  (as  far  as  the 
treasurer's  books  show)  by  only  91  families  repre- 
senting 173  church  members.  Occasional  contri- 
butions are  made  by  24  other  families,  representing 
37  members,  though  many  of  these  members  do  not 
contribute  individually.  There  are  104  families, 
representing  166  of  our  members,  whose  names  do 
not  appear  at  all  upon  the  treasurer's  books.  What- 
ever contribution  they  make  to  the  church  support 
is  placed  upon  the  contribution  plate,  and  the  usual 
cash  collection  is  not  large.  These  figures  do  not 
include  the  students,  nor  the  73  non-resident  mem- 
bers, of  whom  only  one  is  a  regular  subscriber. 
But  there  are  24  additional  subscribers — twenty  of 
them  regular — whose  names  are  not  upon  our  roll 
of  church  members  but  who  belong  to  the  congre- 
gation. 

The  surprising  fact  lay  in  the  statement  that  of 
all  the  names  in  our  manual,  only  157  appear  on 
the  treasurer's  book ;  128  as  regular  and  29  as  oc- 
casional subscribers.  The  tabulation  was  not  made 
to  cover  our  benevolent  subscriptions.  But  that 
would  show  a  still  larger  proportion  of  non-sub- 
scribers. The  committee  and  their  helpers  hope  to 
visit  every  family  in  the  congregation  before  the 
first  of  April  if  possible.  The  motto  upon  their 
circular  reads  :  "  Something  every  Sunday  from 
every   one, — something   for   ourselves  ;   somethinrc 


Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas       147 

for  others."    We  hope  that  by  this  canvass  the 
church  will  actualize  this  ideal. 


Form  Ko.  8 
[To  he  sent  in  recognition  of  subscription,'] 

Dear  M : 

Your  subscription  of has  been  re- 
ceived. Please  accept  our  sincere  thanks.  The 
support  which  you  so  freely  and  cheerfully  give  is 
much  appreciated.  It  is  our  earnest  desire  to  make 
the  church  of  service  and  comfort  to  you,  to  the 
community  and  to  the  world. 

We  are  sending  you,  under  separate  cover,  a 

package  of  envelopes  for  the  year (or  for  the 

remaining  Sundays  of  the  present  year). 

You  will  notice  that  our  envelopes  enable  sub- 
scribers to  pay  their  subscriptions  to  the  church 
each  week.  We  hope  soon  to  give  a  dollar  for  mis- 
sionary work,  for  others,  for  every  dollar  we  spend 
on  ourselves. 

We  are  sending  you  a  new  art  calendar  which  we 
trust  you  will  enjoy.     It  will  furnish  you  a  con- 
venient method  of  keeping  your  envelopes. 
Yours  very  sincerely, 


Hyde  Park  Presbyterian  Church 
Bulletin  1  (sent  by  mail) 
"  Get  together  "  is  the  twentieth  century  note  of 
emphasis  in  Christian  work.     As  never  before  the 


148  Modem  Church  Finance 

Churches  of  Christ  are  cooperating,  and  one  of  the 
first  results  is  a  determination  to  deal  in  a  thorough 
way  with  their  whole  problem  of  church  and  mis- 
sionary finance. 

Forty  denominations  having  twenty  million  mem- 
bers in  America  will  simultaneously  canvass  all 
their  people  in  the  month  of  March. 

Our  Church  will  cooperate.  Groups  of  visitors 
are  now  forming  and  training.  This  communica- 
tion is  a  part  of  the  educational  campaign.  We 
want  all  our  people  to  know  what  our  great  Church 
is  doing  and  in  what  way  they  can  help. 

Please  read  the  enclosed  leaflet  entitled :  "  Unity, 
Strength,  Efficiency."  It  will  give  a  brief  descrip- 
tion of  how  our  church  is  constituted,  and  how  it 
works.  More  of  this  will  follow  next  week.  We 
simply  ask  that  every  memher  of  your  household 
give  fifteen  minutes  to  reading  this  leaflet. 


During  the  two  succeeding  weeks.  Bulletins  2 
and  3  followed,  an  attractive  booklet  accompanying 
each. 


Material  for  Folders  and  Sermons 


An  Ideal  Worthy  of  Any  Christian 

Negatively  Stated 
I  positively  refuse  so  to  give  that  if  every  other 
member  contributed  as  irregularly  and  in  the  same 


Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas       149 

proportion  to  his  means  as  I  am  doing,  it  would  be 
impossible  for  my  church  to  meet  its  missionary 
and  current  expense  budgets.  For  if  I  have  a 
moral  right  to  do  it,  so  has  another  member  and  so 
has  every  member. 

Positively  Stated 
Hence,  I  will  so  give,  week  by  week,  to  world 
wide  missions  and  the  local  expenses  of  my  church, 
that  if  every  other  member  of  every  other  church 
should  give,  in  proportion  to  his  ability,  as  I  am 
giving,  the  Lord's  treasury  would  be  adequately 
supplied  with  the  funds  needed. 

— «/.  Y,  Aitchison, 

Small  Givers 
"  The  Lord  must  have  loved  the  common  peo- 
ple," said  Abraham  Lincoln,  "for  He  has  made  so 
many  of  them."  A  few  notable  men  have  been 
needed  to  do  a  few  great  things,  but  the  great 
work  of  the  world  is  being  done  by  a  great  com- 
pany of  ordinary  people.  Thank  the  Lord  if  He 
has  given  you  but  one  or  two  talents  for  He  has 
provided  so  many  places  where  you  can  be  used  in 
His  service.  You  don't  have  to  wait  a  long  time 
for  an  opportunity  to  use  "  one  talent."  The  "  ten 
talent "  man  may  waste  much  time  before  his  op- 
portunity arrives.  The  many  common,  every-day 
duties  demand  our  constant  thought  and  consecra- 
tion if  we  would  prove  faithful. 

The  surplus  wealth  of  our  country  is  increasing 
at  the  rate  of  seventeen  million  dollars  a  day. 


150  Modern  Church  Finance 

Should  our  Lord  have  to  go  legging  for  the  needed 
funds  to  carry  His  Gospel  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  ? 
Yet  we  have  no  coin  in  circulation  small  enough  to 
represent  the  average  weekly  gifts  of  our  Baptist 
churches  to  either  state,  home  or  foreign  missions. 

A  Little  More  Than  Your  Income 
A  young  man,  being  asked  how  much  it  cost  to 
live  in  New  York  City,  replied :  "  A  little  more  than 
your  income,  whatever  that  is."  A  young  city 
clergyman  on  his  first  round  of  parish  calls  found  a 
family  on  the  verge  of  starvation.  The  man  had 
been  out  of  work  for  months.  He  had  a  wife  and 
five  children,  the  youngest  a  baby.  They  had  just 
eaten  the  last  bit  of  food  in  the  house.  The  young 
clergyman  gave  them  five  dollars  and  collected  for 
them  twenty  dollars  more  before  the  day  was  out. 
A  few  days  later  he  called  to  see  about  getting 
work  for  the  man.  They  were  again  on  the  point 
of  starving.  With  the  twenty-five  dollars  the 
woman  had  bought  a  fine  new  baby  carriage,  some 
coffee  and  sugar.  When  the  clergyman  expostu- 
lated she  indignantly  denied  extravagance.  The 
children  had  broken  the  old  carriage,  and  it  was 
necessary  the  baby  should  have  a  daily  airing.  As 
for  the  coffee  it  was  the  first  they  had  had  in 
weeks.     They  were  accustomed  to  it  and  needed  it. 

— Ajppleton^s  Magazine. 

Mark  Twain  always  said  "  Never  give  a  man 
^ew  inspiration  to  give  without  very  soon  giving 


Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas       151 

him  a  chance  to  give."  It  is  a  scientific  fact  that 
to  stir  the  emotions  and  not  transmute  the  resultant 
impulse  into  action  injures  him  who  has  thus  been 
stirred — weakens  his  power  to  act  the  next  time. 
If  any  campaign,  whether  political,  financial  or 
evangelistic  is  not  promptly  followed  up  and 
clinched,  such  a  campaign  has  done  harm  instead  of 
good. 


Use  the  Church  Calendar  to  keep  the  finances 
before  your  people.  The  paragraphs  below  ap- 
peared, one  each  week,  in  the  Calendar  of  a  very 
large  City  Church,  under  the  same  head : 


THE  EVERY  MEMBER  CANVASS 

I 

During  the  month  of  March  practically  all  the 
Protestant  churches  of  America  will  be  at  work 
upon  their  financial  problems,  local  and  missionary. 
Every  member  of  every  congregation  will  be  given 
an  opportunity  to  definitely  consider  his  responsi- 
bility to  help  support  the  work  his  church  is  doing. 
At  last  it  looks  as  if  the  Church  of  Christ  in 
America  had  determined  to  give  the  lie  to  the 
world^s  slander  that  its  "methods  have  not  been 
businesslike."  The  Church's  new  business  shib- 
boleth seems  to  be 

^'•Everybody    Giving,    Nobody   Owing, ^^ 
^''System,  Not  Spasnij  Is  God's  Method,^^ 


152  Modern  Church  Finance 

II 

An  enthusiastic  meeting  of  the  Elders,  Trustees, 
Deacons  and  Keception  Committee  was  held  last 
Sabbath  afternoon  to  plan  for  the  "  Every  Member 
Canvass."  An  excellent  committee  was  appointed, 
and  significant  results  are  expected  from  plans 
which  are  under  way.  The  prayers  of  this  church 
are  requested  that  the  blessing  of  God  may  rest 
upon  effort  and  result. 

Ill 

The  Presbyterian  Denomination,  with  thirty- 
nine  other  Protestant  bodies  in  the  United  States 
and  Canada,  has  entered  the  movement  for  "  Simul- 
taneous Every  Member  Canvass,"  to  secure  every 
member's  financial  assistance  in  the  support  of  the 
Church  and  her  world-wide  work. 

Do  you  ash  why?  1.  Because  efficiency  de- 
mands it.  Nearly  nine-tenths  of  the  Church's 
work  is  done  by  one-tenth  of  the  members.  Is 
this  efficiency  ?  Every  member  is  the  steward  of 
God's  bounty.  If  every  member  faithfully  dis- 
charged his  stewardship,  nearly  ten  times  the  work 
could  be  accomplished.  The  City  of  New  Orleans 
is  spending  one  million  dollars  in  making  a  survey 
of  the  city's  resources  and  advantages,  so  she  can 
win  Panama  canal  trade.  It  will  be  worth  the 
effort  to  develop  the  unused  resources  in  our  in- 
active church  membership. 

2.  Because  every  member  needs  the  spiritual 
blessing  of  giving.     "  Kemember  the  words  of  the 


Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas       153 

Lord  Jesus,  how  He  said,  it  is  more  blessed  to  give 
than  to  receive." 

3.  Because  every  member  is  under  covenant  to 
support  the  Church  and  her  work.  "  Upon  the 
first  day  of  the  week  let  every  one  of  you  lay  by 
him  in  store  as  God  hath  prospered  him  "  (1  Cor. 
xvi.  2). 

WUl      You      Join      This 
Every  Member  Movement  f 

"  Wisdom  is  in  knowing  what  to  do,  skill  is  in 
knowing  how  to  do  it,  virtue  is  in  doing  it." 


DOLLAKS  AND  DUTY 

"  The  philanthropists  are  the  happiest  of  men ; 
for  true  joy  is  in  giving,  not  in  getting." 

*'  There  are  three  nerve  centers  in  the  spiritual 
man,  the  head,  the  heart  and  the  pocket  book.  The 
reason  congregations  start  when  money  is  men- 
tioned is  because  the  last  is  the  most  sensitive  of 
the  three." — Joh7i  E.  Pounds. 


Offerings,  Not  Collections 
A  little  boy  was  saving  some  of  the  best  meat 
on  his  plate  for  his  dog ;  but  his  mother  noticed  it, 
and  told  him  to  eat  that  himself,  and  after  dinner 
he  could  give  to  the  dog  what  was  left  on  the 
plates.     After  dinner  he  picked  the  little  bits  of 


1  j'4  Modern  Church  Finance 

fat,  and  bone,  and  gristle  that  were  left  and  took 
them  to  the  dog,  and  some  one  heard  him  say, 
sadly,  "I  meant  to  bring  an  offering,  Fido;  but 
I've  only  got  a  collection." 


THE  TWO  BASKETS 
St.  Peter,  from  the  door  of  heaven,  one  day 
Sped  two  young  angels  on  their  happy  way, 
For  the  first  time  to  see  the  world  in  May, — 
Both  bearing  baskets. 

They  were  to  bring  back  flowers  more  fragrant  far 
Than  budding  rose  and  blooming  hawthorn  are  ; 
They  were  to  bring  the  praise  of  all  the  star 
Back  in  their  baskets. 


The  Angel  of  Thanksgiving,  full  of  glee. 
Donned  a  huge  hamper  half  as  big  as  he  ; 
But  the  Collector  of  Petitions — see  ! 
With  a  small  basket. 

When  they  returned,  St.  Peter,  as  before, 
Sat  with  his  golden  keys  beside  the  door  ; 
But  each  appeared  to  be  in  trouble  sore 
About  his  basket. 

The  Angel  of  Petitions  bore  a  sack 
Crammed  full,  and  bound  uncouthly  on  his  back  ; 
Yet  even  then  it  seemed  that  he  had  lack 
Of  bag  or  basket. 


Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas       155 

The  Angel  of  Thanksgiving  blushed  to  feel 
The  empty  lightness  of  his  mighty  creel  j 
*^  But  three  ! "  he  muttered — turning  on  his  heel 
To  hide  his  basket. 

Then  spoke  St.  Peter :  "  When  again  you  go 
On  a  prayer  gathering,  you  will  better  know 
That  men's  petitions  in  the  world  below 
Fill  a  big  basket. 

"  But  when  you  go  to  gather  up  their  thanks 
For  prayers  well  answered  and  forgiven  pranks, 
For  health  restored  and  disentangled  hanks, — 
Your  smallest  basket !  " 


His  Plan 

Somebody  has  supposed  the  scene  that  he  thinks 
may  have  taken  place  after  Jesus  went  back  to 
heaven.  The  Master  is  walking  with  Gabriel, 
talking  intently,  earnestly.  Gabriel  is  saying: 
"Master,  you  died  for  the  whole  world  down 
there,  did  you  not  ?  "  "  Yes."  "  You  must  have 
suffered  much,"  with  an  earnest  look  into  that 
great  face.  "  Yes,"  again  comes  the  answer  in  a 
wondrous  voice,  very  quiet  but  strangely  full  of 
deepest  feeling.  "  And  do  they  all  know  about  it  ?  " 
*'  Oh,  no ;  only  a  few  in  Palestine  know  about  it  so 
far."  "  Well,  Master,  what  is  your  plan  ?  What 
have  you  done  about  telling  the  world  that  you 
have  died  for  them  ?    What  is  your  plan  ?  " 

"  Well,"  the  Master  is  supposed  to  answer,  "  I 
asked  Peter  and  James  and  John,  and  little  Scotch 


1^6  Modern  Church  Finance 

Andrew,  and  some  more  of  them  down  there,  just 
to  make  it  the  business  of  their  lives  to  tell  others, 
and  the  others  others,  and  yet  others,  and  still 
others,  until  the  last  man  in  the  farthest  circle  has 
heard  the  story,  and  has  felt  the  thrilling  and  the 
thralling  power  of  it." 

And  Gabriel  knows  us  folks  down  here  pretty 
well.  He  has  had  more  than  one  contact  with  the 
earth.  He  knows  the  kind  of  stuff  in  us.  And  he 
is  supposed  to  answer,  with  a  sort  of  hesitating  re- 
luctance, as  though  he  could  see  difficulties  in  the 
working  of  the  plan,  "  Yes — but— suppose  Peter 
fails.  Suppose  after  a  while  John  simply  does  not 
tell  others.  Suppose  their  descendants,  their  suc- 
cessors away  off  in  the  first  edge  of  the  twentieth 
century,  get  so  husy  about  things — some  of  them 
proper  enough,  some  of  them  may  not  be  so  proper 
— that  they  do  not  tell  others^  what  then  f  "  And 
his  eyes  are  big  with  the  intenseness  of  his  thought, 
for  he  is  thinking  of  the  suffering,  and  he  is  think- 
ing, too,  of  the  difference  to  the  man  who  hasn't 
been  told,—"  What  then  ?  " 

And  back  comes  that  quiet,  wondrous  voice  of 
Jesus  :  "  Gabriel,  I  haven't  made  any  other  j^lans^ 
— Pm  counting  on  them.'^' — S.  D.  Gordon, 


In  Account  With  God 
It  might  help  parsimonious  Christians  to  look  a 
little  over  their  account  with  the  Lord.     It  would 
stand  somewhat  thus  : — 


Form  Letters  and  Publicity  Ideas       157 

Brother  John  Smith,  in  account  with  his  Master ^  the 
Lord  of  the  whole  earth. 

Dr. 
To  10  showers  of  rain  on  his  fields  at 

$25  per  shower      ....  $250.00 
2  extra  showers  at  a  critical  period, 
$50  each        -        -        -        -        -    100.00 
60  days  of  sunshine  at  $6  -        -    300.00 


$650.00 


Cb. 

By  subscription  for  pastor^  s  salary  $10.00 

Home  missions      -        -        -        -  .26 

Foreign  missions  -        -        •        -  .10 


$10.35 


This  shows  a  heavy  balance  against  Brother 
John  Smith,  and  it  would  be  heavy  even  if  he  had 
given  ten  times  as  much,  for  the  whole  farm  is  the 
Lord's. —  William  Ashniore^  D,  D.y  i/a  "  NoTthfield 
Tear-Book,^'* 


Till 
Enlisting  and  Training  the  Canvassers 

THE  personal  canvass  is  essential  to  the 
largest  results  in  the  number  and  size  of 
pledges,  and  the  selection  and  training 
of  canvassers  is  equally  essential  to  the  success  of  a 
canvass.  Uninformed  and  unspiritual  workers  will 
"make  the  motions"  of  an  efficient  canvass  with 
results  that  are  utterly  inadequate  if  not  injurious. 
Untactful  and  faultfinding  canvassers  sometimes 
discourage  gifts  for  benevolences  and  even  for 
church  support  by  disparaging  missions,  criticiz- 
ing the  church  leadership  or  methods,  suggesting 
heathenish  selfishness,  or  creating  friction. 

Sometimes  a  church  employs  an  expert  can- 
vasser, either  one  of  its  members  who  has  experi- 
ence with  insurance  or  other  soliciting,  or  a  stranger 
secured  through  the  "Church  Efficiency  Bureau" 
or  some  other  agency.  An  expert  canvasser  will 
frequently  secure  more  liberal  pledges  than  inex- 
perienced volunteers,  but  this  method  should  be  a 
last  resort. 

The  members  need  the  experience  of  the  can- 
vass. The  officers  need  the  close  insight  it  will 
give  them  into  the  lives  and  homes  of  their  mem- 

158 


Enlisting  and  Training  the  Canvassers     159 

bers.  The  training  as  well  as  the  task  will  develop 
their  own  liberality  and  spirituality  and  will  insure 
their  larger  efficiency  in  all  other  church  work.  In 
the  Apostolic  church  every  member  was  a  worker. 
Medieval  Romanism  changed  this  and  expected 
ordained  priests  to  do  all  the  work.  The  reformers 
failed  to  return  to  the  New  Testament  method. 
The  Every  Member  Canvass  is  one  of  the  best 
means  of  teaching  laymen  their  duty  and  pre- 
paring them  for  more  difficult  spiritual  responsi- 
bilities. 

Draft  the  canvassers.  Do  not  wait  for  volun- 
teers. Select  them  with  great  care,  considering 
their  liberality  and  intelligence,  their  spirituality 
and  diligence.  Get  the  best  men  in  the  church. 
If  there  is  danger  that  they  will  hesitate  notify 
them  of  their  appointment  only  after  pulpit  inspi- 
ration. Call  them  together  immediately  after  a 
sermon,  or  a  supper,  where  the  work  and  its  im- 
portance is  fully  presented.  Show  them  that  the 
canvass  is  absolutely  necessary  and  that  men  of 
the  highest  standing  and  the  largest  wealth  every- 
where engage  in  it.  Of  the  forty  canvassers  in 
one  church,  an  ex-governor  and  his  son,  two  mil- 
lionaire manufacturers,  a  supreme  court  justice,  two 
leading  lawyers  of  the  state  and  the  president  of 
its  largest  bank  were  among  the  captains  and 
canvassers. 

Select  enough  canvassers  to  finish  the  work  in 
one  day  if  possible  without  any  team  making  over 
from  six  to  ten  calls,  but  do  not  sacrifice  efficiency 


l6o  Modern  Church  Finance 

for  numbers.  Sometimes  only  two  or  three  per 
cent,  of  the  members  have  the  needed  missionary 
zeal  and  loyalty,  but  from  eight  to  ten  per  cent. 
can  usually  be  enlisted.  Some  very  unpromising 
timber  can  be  developed  into  efficient  workers  by 
personal  conferences,  inspiring  sermons  and  proper 
coaching. 

Use  all  persons  who  are  competent  without  re- 
gard to  office  or  sex.  Women  sometimes  make  the 
best  canvassers  and  have  the  largest  enthusiasm. 
Sometimes  officers  have  fallen  into  ruts  and 
members  of  the  Adult  Bible  Class  will  be  more 
responsive  and  faithful.  Young  people  are  often 
very  efficient,  especially  with  those  of  their  own 
age. 

Interview  personally  those  who  hesitate  to  help. 
For  their  own  spiritual  good,  persist  until  they 
enlist.  To  allow  them  to  shirk  is  to  confirm  them 
in  religious  neglect.  Show  them  that  it  will  not 
be  a  difficult  task,  that  it  takes  but  one  afternoon, 
that  others  have  found  the  work  delightful  and 
that  it  is  their  duty  to  give  their  time  and  in- 
fluence for  this  as  well  as  for  other  phases  of  the 
Lord's  work.  Sometimes  they  will  respond  more 
readily  to  the  appeal  of  a  captain  whom  they  like, 
if  assured  of  having  an  intimate  friend  as  team- 
mate, if  told  what  prominent  people  will  help,  or 
if  allowed  to  choose  whom  they  will  canvass. 

Coach  all  the  canvassers.  Even  if  they  have 
been  successful  in  former  years,  their  zeal  and  their 
memories  need  refreshing.     Have  them  practice  on 


Enlisting  and  Training  the  Canvassers    161 

one  another  in  the  approach  and  in  answering 
objections. 

Bring  the  canvassers  together  on  Sunday  p.  M., 
or  on  week  nights,  with  a  supper  if  necessary,  for 
two  or  three  training  conferences.  Their  work  is 
a  form  of  salesmanship.  One  church  finance  ex- 
pert says :  "  I  was  once  a  book  agent.  The  first 
day  I  sold  only  one  book.  The  second  day  I  sold 
fourteen.  The  difference  was  due  to  the  fact  that 
I  spent  two  hours  at  the  close  of  the  first  day 
learning  from  an  experienced  agent  how  to  sell  the 
book.  The  first  day  only  one  purchased  out  of 
eleven  people  canvassed,  but  the  second  day  only 
three  out  of  seventeen  refused  to  purchase,  and  two 
of  the  three  bought  books  later.  Same  agent, 
same  book,  same  class  of  people,  but  not  the  same 
preparation." 

Besides  emphasizing  all  the  peculiar  local  prob- 
lems and  conditions,  drill  them  on  all  points  con- 
cerning the  systein  and  the  canvass  and  on  such 
principles  as  these  (which  can  be  multigraphed  for 
each  team  if  necessary) : 

Pray  before  you  start  out  for  yourself  and  those 
you  will  canvass.  Remember  the  church  is  the 
biggest  business  in  the  world.  Do  not  depreciate 
it  by  being  timid.  Expect  a  favorable  response. 
Optimism  with  tact  is  half  the  victory. 

Come  promptly  to  the  point.  Folks  have  been 
notified  by  letter  and  from  the  pulpit  and  expect 
you.  Do  not  waste  time,  yet  take  time  to  present 
the  matter  thoroughly.     Assume  their  sympathy. 


l62  Modern  Church  Finance 

Do  not  ask,  "What  do  you  feel  like  giving?" 
They  have  little  idea  as  to  what  is  needed.  Begin 
by  boosting  the  church,  her  pastor  and  her  plan. 
Emphasize  her  successes,  her  service  to  the  com- 
munity, and  her  opportunities.  Tell  of  increased 
membership  and  enlarging  progi'am.  Explain  that 
a  larger  budget  is  needed  in  order  to  do  a  larger 
work  and  then  say :  "  Can  you  not  subscribe  one 
dollar  per  week  for  yourself,  fifty  cents  for  your 
wife  and  ten  cents  for  each  child  ?  "  (or  whatever 
amounts  would  be  liberal — larger  than  last  year  at 
least).  Suggest  pledges  so  liberal  that  you  can 
compromise  on  a  middle  ground  if  necessary. 
Many  folks  will  only  wake  up  to  their  duty  when 
asked  for  what  is  beyond  their  ability.  Tell  them 
what  some  liberal  members  are  doing,  especially 
those  of  the  same,  or  of  less,  ability. 

Insist  that  they  consider  the  matter  thoroughly 
before  handing  them  the  pledge  cards.  You  will 
receive  more  if  they  are  signed  in  3^our  presence, 
while  you  are  emphasizing  the  matter.  If  they  are 
not  ready,  keep  the  pledge  cards  in  your  pocket, 
tell  them  to  think  it  over  and  you  will  call  again 
in  an  hour. 

Be  careful  lest  current  expense  subscriptions  be 
reduced  in  order  to  give  to  benevolences.  This  may 
cause  a  deficit,  create  prejudice  among  the  officers 
and  doom  the  system.  Kemind  folks  that  they  owe 
to  support  current  expenses  for  they  receive  their 
money's  worth  in  the  benefits  brought  by  the  church 
to  themselves,  to  their  families  and  to  the  com- 


Enlisting  and  Training  the  Canvassers     163 

munity ;  and  that  they  do  not  really  give  except  to 
the  benevolences. 

Get  the  current  expense  pledge  first,  but  zeal- 
ously remember  the  benevolences.  Emphasize  that 
all  our  ancestors  were  cannibals  and  heathen  before 
the  missionaries  came  to  them,  and  that  decent 
gratitude  compels  us  to  give  liberally  to  send  mis- 
sionaries to  those  who  have  not  yet  received  the 
blessings  of  our  Christian  faith. 

If  they  have  no  missionary  spirit,  try  to  develop 
it.  Sometimes  a  missionary  subscription  can  be 
secured  by  emphasizing  the  medical,  industrial, 
educational  and  other  humanitarian  phases  of  the 
work. 

Ask  subscriptions  from  non-members,  if  they  are 
among  the  constituency  who  would  call  your  pastor 
in  case  of  death  or  other  emergency,  or  are  sup- 
porting no  other  church.  The  churches  of  a  com- 
munity benefit  every  citizen.  They  decrease  pov- 
erty and  crime  and  taxes  and  should  have  support 
from  every  one  just  as  do  the  schools.  If  any  one 
aids  no  church,  some  one  else  pays  his  share  for 
him.         • 

Emphasize  that  this  is  an  Every  Member  Canvass, 
that  it  is  not  singling  out  a  few,  and  that  pledges 
are  being  asked  from  every  woman  and  child. 
Speak  to  the  children  in  person  if  possible,  to  em- 
phasize their  importance. 

Avoid  arguments.  Ask  them  to  pray  instead  of 
debate  with  you.  Distinguish  between  sincere  and 
insincere  objections.    Give  information  and  empha- 


164  Modern  Church  Finance 

size  ideals  and  your  sincerity  will  be  worth  more 
than  your  arguments. 

Remind  those  whom  you  canvass  of  the  Scrip- 
tural teaching  as  to  methods  on  which  the  system 
is  based  and  concerning  the  principles  of  steward- 
ship. Emphasize  the  wonderful  privilege  of  being 
partners  with  Christ  and  the  church  through  gifts. 

Have  well  at  command  a  few  strong  talking 
points,  relating  both  to  the  local  church  and  to  the 
benevolent  and  missionary  work. 

Make  clear  that  your  errand  is  for  more  than 
money.  "Not  yours  but  you"  should  be  your 
key-note.     Manifest  the  spirit  of  Christ. 

Magnify  your  mission.  Remember  that  you  are 
helping  to  develop  the  character  of  the  givers,  to 
increase  the  efficiency  and  spiritual  power  of  the 
church,  to  bless  your  community  and  its  people, 
and  to  hasten  the  Kingdom  throughout  the  nation 
and  the  world.  Your  work  is  as  necessary  as  that 
of  the  minister  or  the  missionary.  One  canvasser 
in  a  large  city,  who  was  never  able  to  give  above 
one  hundred  dollars  a  year,  is  said  to  have  been  in- 
strumental in  raising  $100,000  more  than  would 
otherwise  have  been  given.  The  Lord  needs  such 
canvassers. 

Seek  to  arouse  interest  rather  than  to  win  by 
pressure.  "  A  grab  may  get  more  money  now,  but 
permanent  pledges  come  only  by  education." 

Do  not  apologize.  To  speak  of  yourself  as  "  beg- 
ging "  is  a  disgrace  to  the  church,  and  an  insult  to 
God  who  is  the  creator  and  owner  of  all  wealth 


Enlisting  and  Training  the  Canvassers    165 

and  who  certainly  has  a  right  to  a  liberal  share  of 
the  increase.  Kemember  you  are  simply  asking 
folks  to  pay  what  they  owe  and  that  they  should 
rather  apologize  to  the  church  and  to  the  Almighty 
for  having  so  long  neglected  to  give  as  the  Bible 
teaches  and  as  the  church  has  need.  The  law  re- 
quired the  Jew  to  pay  a  tithe  besides  another  tithe 
in  free-will  offerings  and  special  gifts.  Surely  Chris- 
tians should  give  as  much  from  love. 

If  any  refuse,  or  offer  "  something  "  which  is  ut- 
terly inadequate,  tell  them  that  this  is  not  accepted 
as  final  and  that  they  will  be  called  on  again,  and 
that  they  are  refusing  God's  claim  instead  of 
yours. 

If  any  have  special  interests  and  will  give  more 
to  such  causes,  allow  them  to  designate  their  gifts. 

Make  your  visit  spiritually  helpful.  Seek  to  give 
inspiration  to  those  who  have  grown  cold  to  the 
church.  Urge  them  to  attend  regularly.  OfiPer 
prayer  if  the  opportunity  offers,  either  before  or 
after  the  pledge  is  received.  You  can  do  this  with- 
out offense.  Emphasize  regular  attendance  at 
prayer-meeting  and  the  enrollment  of  every  one  in 
the  Sabbath  School  and  the  adult  classes.  Leave 
behind  you  a  cordial  Christian  atmosphere. 

Express  the  church's  interest  in  them  and  its  ap- 
preciation of  their  various  efforts  in  its  behalf. 
Sometimes  it  is  wise  to  visit  a  little  after  the 
pledges  are  secured,  not  to  hurry  away. 

Where  parties  are  engaged  or  absent,  call  again 
later  in  the  afternoon,  or  the  next  day. 


l66  Modern  Church  Finance 

Keport  on  every  individual,  even  though  it  be  a 
discouraging  word,  so  that  the  committee  may 
promptly  follow  the  matter  up. 

Secure  all  information  which  will  be  of  value  to 
the  pastors  and  officers ;  changed  addresses,  cases 
of  illness  or  unemployment,  calls  which  should  be 
made  promptly,  reasonable  and  unreasonable  ob- 
jections met,  newly  discovered  families,  possible 
church  members,  suggestions  as  to  how  to  make 
the  church  more  efficient,  etc.  Note  this  informa- 
tion on  the  back  of  the  cards  at  once,  lest  you  for- 
get it  hefore  the  close  of  tlie  day. 

Eemember  your  duty  to  the  heathen,  to  help  se- 
cure a  liberal  benevolence  budget,  for  "  how  shall 
they  hear  without  a  preacher  and  how  shall  they 
preach  except  they  be  sent  ?  "  and  how  shall  they 
be  sent  except  there  be  money  to  support  them  ? 
Persevere  patiently.  If  you  cannot  be  a  mission- 
ary, you  can  help  send  others. 

Leave  some  missionary  and  stewardship  pam- 
phlets or  other  literature  behind  you.  Secure  sub- 
scriptions to  denominational  papers  and  magazines, 
if  you  can  without  neglecting  the  pledge. 

Do  not  show  the  information  cards  to  those  you 
are  to  canvass  unless  directed  by  the  committee. 

Do  not  forget  that  your  main  duty  is  to  secure 
pledges.  Push  other  matters  only  so  far  as  they 
will  not  interfere  with  this. 

If  in  a  particular  case  you  think  some  one  else 
might  do  better,  do  not  ask  a  pledge.  Tell  them 
to  think  it  over.     Send  another  team. 


Enlisting  and  Training  the  Canvassers    167 

Possible  Objections  and  Answers 
Suggested 

(^Peculiar  local  problems  should  be  anticipated  and  can- 
vassers trained  in  them.  For  answers  to  objections  along 
missionary  ly)ies^  see  literature  of  Laymen^s  Missionary 
Movement,) 

"  I  never  pledge. "  Every  one  makes  pledges  such 
as  house  rent,  lodge  dues,  insurance  premiums,  sup- 
port of  family,  payments  on  property,  etc.  You 
should  treat  the  church  the  same.  You  pledged  to 
support  the  church  when  you  joined  it,  and  you 
pledged  to  serve  God.  All  belongs  to  the  Creator 
and  you  are  merely  asked  to  indicate  how  much 
you  honestly  believe  you  ought  to  pay  Him  through 
His  church. 

"  I  prefer  to  give  what  I  feel  when  I  feel  like 
it."  That  would  be  all  right  if  ministers  and  mis- 
sionaries and  church  officers  only  had  to  pay  bills 
when  they  feel  like  it.  The  grocer  expects  you  to 
pay  your  bills  when  due  even  if  you  do  not  feel 
like  it  and  the  church  must  do  the  same.  The 
pledged  contributors  average  six  times  as  much  as 
those  who  pay  only  when  they  feel  like  it.  The 
officers  must  have  a  pledged  income. 

"I  do  not  like  the  preacher  or  soloist."  Few 
citizens  would  refuse  to  pay  taxes  because  they  do 
not  like  the  mayor  or  school-teacher.  We  must  be 
just  as  loyal  to  the  church,  even  though  we  wish  it 
were  different.  Few  of  us  are  perfect  and  we  must 
overlook  mistakes.     Besides,  you  are  not  asked  to 


i68  Modern  Church  Finance 

pay  to  the  party  you  dislike,  but  to  the  Lord  to 
meet  other  bills  also. 

"  I  seldom  attend."  That  is  nobody's  fault  but 
your  own.  Do  not  add  to  your  error  by  failing 
also  to  pay.  You  believe  in  the  church  and  you 
should  help  the  more  liberally  if  you  fail  to  attend 
and  work.  You  should  attend,  and  begin  right 
now.  Fixed  charges  go  on  just  the  same  if  you  do 
not  occupy  your  seat. 

"  I  do  not  like  the  financial  plan."  But  you  will 
loyally  stand  by  it  just  as  you  do  by  plans  in  your 
lodge  or  city  which  the  majority  adopt.  Besides, 
the  plan  is  being  introduced  in  all  churches  with 
great  success.  All  leading  Protestant  bodies  have 
sanctioned  it  and  your  church  should  not  be  behind. 

"  I  prefer  to  give  once  a  year,  or  quarter."  But 
the  Bible  calls  on  us  to  give  weekly,  to  "  bring  an 
offering  and  come  into  his  courts  "  and  to  "  worship 
the  Lord  with  an  offering  "  and  we  should  bring 
offerings  as  regularly  as  we  listen  to  sermons  or 
worship  in  prayer  or  praise. 

"  Too  much  trouble  to  have  the  change."  Not 
at  all.  If  you  give  a  dollar  a  week  each  to  church 
support  and  benevolence,  you  get  change  and  fill 
all  the  envelopes  at  the  first  of  each  quarter.  This 
takes  but  a  few  minutes.  Each  Sunday  morning 
you  simply  take  the  envelope  for  the  day.  Simple, 
isn't  it  ? 

"  It  will  be  a  bother."  After  you  have  done  it 
three  months,  you  will  like  it.  It  must  become  a 
habit  like  putting  on  your  collar  or  eating  your 


Enlisting  and  Training  the  Canvassers    169 

meals ;  and  will  soon  be  a  pleasure,  not  a  bother. 
Even  so,  we  should  obey  the  Bible  and  do  as  others 
do  in  the  church  if  it  is  some  bother. 

"  I  am  too  poor."  The  "  poor  widow  "  had  only 
two  mites  but  she  gave.  You  cannot  be  too  poor 
to  miss  God's  blessing  on  you  and  your  gift.  Be- 
sides, we  are  not  poor.  In  heathen  lands,  the 
average  wage  is  only  ten  cents  per  family  per  day, 
and  we  would  have  been  as  poor  but  for  Christ  and 
the  church  coming  to  our  heathen  ancestors  and 
uplifting  them. 

"  I  want  no  one  to  know  my  gift.  The  Bible 
says,  ^when  thou  doest  alms  let  not  your  right 
hand  know,  etc' "  But  you  see  Christ  specified 
that  as  applying  to  alms,  with  which  we  are  not 
concerned.  Church  support  is  not  alms  and  every 
Hebrew  gave  a  tenth  of  his  income  and  every  one 
knew  it.  Though  we  are  not  to  give  our  alms  to 
be  seen  of  men,  we  are  commanded  to  let  our  light 
shine.  But  no  one  need  know  your  pledge  for  you 
can  sign  and  seal  it  and  we  will  give  the  sealed 
envelope  to  the  treasurer. 

"  How  much  is  Jones  giving  ?  "  Does  your  duty 
to  the  church  depend  on  whether  Jones  is  stingy 
or  liberal  ?  (If  Jones  made  a  liberal  pledge,  do  not 
hesitate  to  tell  how  much.) 

"  I  may  lose  my  income."  Any  time  you  can- 
not pay,  you  can  cancel  your  subscription  by  noti- 
fying the  treasurer.  But  you  probably  have  not 
paid  up  all  your  tithes  in  the  past  and  could  pay 
this  out  of  back  tithe. 


lyo  Modern  Church  Finance 

"  My  income  is  irregular/'  Yet  you  pay  about 
the  same  rent,  lodge  dues,  grocery  and  other  bills, 
and  you  should  treat  the  Lord's  church  likewise. 
Pledge  on  the  basis  of  your  last  year's  income,  and 
you  can  increase  it  if  you  prosper. 

"  Wait  a  week ;  call  again."  We  promised  to 
report  this  evening.  Every  one  is  pledging  to-day 
and  you  should  be  in  with  the  others.  Cannot 
you  decide  without  delay  ?  You  do  not  want  us 
to  have  the  useless  labor  of  hunting  you  up  again. 

"  Leave  the  pledge  card  and  I  will  mail  it." 
We  must  turn  in  every  card,  signed  or  unsigned, 
to-night.  So  we  will  call  again  in  an  hour.  If 
you  do  not  pledge  to-day,  it  keeps  the  committee 
back  and  necessitates  the  work  of  another  com- 
mittee coming,  and  they  might  not  find  you  home. 

"My  wife  (or  husband)  gives  for  us  both." 
Does  she  eat  or  sleep  for  you  ?  Each  one  should 
have  their  own  w^eekly  offering  as  well  as  their 
own  hat  or  breakfast. 

"  They  spend  too  much  ;  I  do  not  believe  in  pay- 
ing for  music  or  .  .  ."  But  the  cost  of  living 
has  risen  greatly.  You  spend  more  for  your  liv- 
ing. The  church  must  have  the  advantage  of 
electric  lights,  furnace,  etc.  Our  music  attracts 
people  who  pay  more  than  the  music  costs,  and 
would  leave  if  it  ceased,  so  count  that  all  their 
money  goes  to  music  and  all  yours  to  salary. 

"  I  will  pay  just  as  much  by  check."  But  others 
will  see  that  you  use  no  envelopes  and  put  in  very 
little,  and  they  will  misjudge  you  as  miserly  or 


Enlisting  and  Training  the  Canvassers    1 7 1 

will  give  very  little,  thinking  they  axe  imitating 
you.     Your  example  to  others  is  very  important. 

"Hard  times."  But  shall  retrenchment  begin 
with  regard  to  your  Creator  ?  You  owe  Him  any- 
way. But  it  is  only  "  expected  according  as  a  man 
hath."  Others  suffer  from  hard  times  and  they 
will  pay  their  share ;  yours  too,  if  you  cut  down. 

"  The  church  is  always  after  money."  That  is 
what  the  Irishman  said  about  his  wife,  adding  that 
of  course  he  never  gave  her  any.  The  church  will 
stop  asking  so  often  If  we  will  all  simply  do  our 
duty  now,  enough  for  the  year. 

"  1  must  provide  for  my  family."  But  you  want 
to  help  provide  a  church,  which  they  need  just  as 
much  as  clothes  or  food. 

*' Salvation  is  free."  True,  but  you  are  simply 
asked  to  prove  your  salvation  by  your  works. 
Millionaires  could  not  pay  for  their  salvation,  but 
every  man  is  expected  to  pay  to  God  in  accord 
with  his  materia]  prosperity,  whether  he  has  sal- 
vation or  not. 

"I  have  no  money  for  the  church."  Do  you 
want  to  drive  all  churches  out  of  town  ?  If  every 
one  said  the  same,  every  church  would  quit  busi- 
ness and  we  would  have  things  pretty  bad.  I  be- 
lieve you  do  not  mean  what  you  said. 


IX 

The  Efficient  Canvass  and  Follow-Up 

OKGANIZE  the  work  carefully.  Focus  re- 
sponsibility and  promote  emulation  by 
dividing  the  church  into  from  two  to  ten 
districts.  Put  over  each  a  good  captain  making 
him  responsible  for  the  liberality  and  efficiency  of 
his  canvassers,  for  taking  the  more  difficult  per- 
sons, for  checking  up  each  team  to  see  that  they 
report  a  pledge  or  information  concerning  each 
family,  for  assigning  teams  for  second  visits  where 
the  tirst  team  failed,  and  for  turning  in  complete 
reports  on  all  points  to  the  Executive  Committee. 

Have  the  captains  spend  an  evening  together, 
distributing  and  revising  the  lists  and  the  can- 
vassers and  discussing  all  phases  of  the  work. 

Have  each  captain  call  a  special  meeting  of  his 
canvassers,  possibly  at  a  supper  at  his  home,  to  re- 
ceive their  assignments  and  their  final  training,  for 
prayer  together,  and  to  secure  the  pledges  of  the 
canvassers  not  already  received. 

Send  the  canvassers  in  pairs  as  Christ  sent  the 
seventy.  Even  Moses  was  so  slow  of  speech  that 
he  needed  Aaron  to  help  him.  Paul  always  had 
Silas  or  Timothy  or  Barnabas  as  a  companion. 
This  plan  makes  it  easier  for  the  canvassers  and 
impresses  the  importance  of  the  matter  upon  those 
172 


The  Efficient  Canvass  and  FoUow-Up    173 

who  ai*e  canvassed.  It  permits  an  elder  to  go  with 
a  trustee  and  an  inexperienced  worker  to  go  with 
one  who  is  expert.  Sometimes  one  of  the  team  ap- 
peals for  church  support  pledges  and  the  other  for 
benevolences,  but  both  must  heartily  support  the 
two  causes.  Sometimes  canvassers  go  by  threes  or 
fours,  thus  making  a  still  greater  impression  upon 
such  as  have  failed  to  do  their  duty. 

Assign  names  judiciously.  While  geographical 
distribution  should  prevail,  this  should  be  modified 
somewhat.  Usually  one  or  more  picked  teams 
should  take  the  more  important  and  difficult  parties 
without  regard  to  residence.  Usually  a  canvasser 
turns  in  the  pledges  of  his  family,  but  sometimes  a 
comparative  stranger  can  secure  more  liberal  re- 
sponses from  fathers  or  husbands.  Send  the  banker 
with  large  influence  to  those  who  can  give  largely. 
Do  not  send  boys  to  see  the  more  wealthy  or  con- 
servative members.  Sometimes  the  stingy  or  timid 
canvasser  is  sent  to  see  a  liberal  saint  for  his  own 
sake.  Canvassers  should  always  visit  the  liberal 
folks  first  to  strengthen  their  courage  and  provide 
talking  points  for  the  other  calls. 

Making  the  Canvass 

Make  the  harvest  thorough  and  effective.  Pre- 
pare as  directed  in  Chapter  VI. 

Usually  the  canvass  is  made  on  a  Sunday.  To 
the  occasional  objection  that  Sunday  is  not  the 
proper  time,  sufficient  answer  is  found  in  these 
arguments : 


174  Modern  Church  Finance 

1.  It  is  the  Lord's  business.  It  is  not  for  per- 
sonal profit. 

2.  Offerings  and  pledges  have  been  received  in 
Sabbath  services  from  time  immemorial,  and  a 
personal  appeal  is  as  proper  as  a  public  one. 

3.  If  giving  is  worship,  and  gifts  should  be 
brought  on  the  Sabbath,  pledges  for  fifty-two  acts 
of  worship  should  certainly  be  made  on  Sunday. 

4.  Canvassers  can  and  will  give  closer  attention 
to  the  work,  and  those  canvassed  will  be  free  from 
business  pressure  and  will  respond  more  liberally, 
before  the  impressions  of  the  Sunday  morning  serv- 
ice have  faded  from  their  mind. 

5.  Sunday  canvasses  have  been  more  successful 
than  week-day  campaigns,  and  God's  blessing  may 
well  be  accepted  as  indicating  His  preference. 

Have  the  canvassers  lunch  together  at  the  church 
to  insure  a  prompt  start,  to  give  opportunity  for 
final  instruction  and  prayer,  and  for  testimony  from 
a  few  leaders  to  put  "  punch  and  pep  "  into  the 
work.  If  a  lunch  is  impossible,  they  should  at  least 
meet  together  at  the  church  or  in  their  districts 
immediately  after  dinner.  Such  meeting  will  give 
opportunity  for  final  questions,  and  for  deepening 
spiritual  convictions. 

Enthusiasm  is  essential.  Awaken  friendly  ri- 
valry between  teams  and  districts  as  to  promptness, 
as  to  the  number  and  size  of  pledges,  etc.  Have 
the  pastor  or  secretary  remain  at  the  church  or  at 
the  telephone  where  the  canvassers  can  call  upon  him 
at  any  time  during  the  afternoon  if  questions  arise. 


The  Efficient  Canvass  and  Follow- Up     175 

Complete  the  work  in  one  day  if  possible.  Al- 
ways have  a  time  limit.  If  the  canvass  is  drawn 
out,  the  interest  and  momentum  will  be  lost.  Two 
or  three  days  of  business  pressure  may  dissipate  all 
the  enthusiasm.  At  the  evening  service  arrange 
for  reports  as  to  progress  made  during  the  day,  in- 
spiring those  who  have  not  completed  their  work 
to  act  more  promptly.  At  its  close,  captains  will 
confer  with  canvassers  and  reassign  names  where 
necessary. 

The  Efficient  Follow-Up 
Strive  promptly  to  secure  subscriptions  from 
those  who  did  not  respond  within  the  time  limit. 
Seek  to  convert  those  who  refused  or  subscribed 
inadequately,  using  literature,  addresses  and  per- 
sonal work  to  enlarge  their  vision  and  insure  more 
liberal  response  the  next  time.  Aim  to  have  every 
resident  member  and  adherent  become  a  subscriber. 
Follow  up  absentees  by  correspondence  until  they 
pledge  or  take  their  letters  to  a  church  they  will 
support. 

Conserve  the  enthusiasm  and  experience  of  the 
canvassers.  Give  them  a  supper  and  have  them 
relate  their  most  encouraging  and  humorous  ex- 
periences. Straighten  out  misunderstandings  and 
disappointments.  Have  reports  from  each  team. 
Have  them  vote  whether  the  canvass  was  worth 
while.  Pledge  them  to  regular  visits  to  look  after 
the  spiritual  interests  of  those  whom  they  have 
canvassed.    Arrange  for  them  to  call  on  any  who 


176  Modern  Church  Finance 

may  fall  in  arrears  during  the  year.  Have  them 
vote  for  more  careful  preparation  and  a  more  thor- 
ough canvass  next  year. 

Have  a  thanksgiving  and  praise  service,  either 
on  Sabbath  evening  or  at  the  following  mid-week 
service. 

Send  a  letter  of  appreciation  to  each  subscriber 
thanking  him  for  his  contribution  to  the  success  of 
the  campaign,  reminding  him  of  his  exact  weekly 
pledges  and  the  duty  of  promptness. 

Secure  from  the  Duplex  Envelope  Company, 
Kichmond,  Ya.,  or  the  Woolverton  Company, 
Osage,  Iowa,  specially  printed  "Visitors'  Envel- 
opes "  with  envelope  racks  for  each  pew,  so  that 
all  strangers  may  understand  the  system  and  re- 
ceive a  silent  invitation  to  contribute.  Keep  in 
the  church  calendar  a  reminder  of  the  system  and 
the  need  of  help  from  every  one. 

Kegular  payments  will  be  encouraged  by  dis- 
tributing the  envelopes  in  cartons  with  eyelets,  and 
furnishing  hooks  by  which  they  can  be  hung  in 
conspicuous  places.  Annual  calendar  cases  can  be 
secured  for  the  same  purpose,  either  in  stock  form 
or  with  photos  of  your  church  and  pastor  and  an- 
nouncements of  your  services,  with  pockets  for  the 
envelopes.  Of  course  envelopes  will  be  furnished 
to  every  contributor  two  weeks  before  the  year 
begins  by  mail  or  by  a  special  visitation.  Or  they 
can  be  left  by  the  canvassers. 

Be  sure  that  the  treasurers  and  bookkeepers 
observe  faithfully  the  suggestions  as  to  frequent 


The  Efficient  Canvass  and  Follow-Up     177 

reports  and  statements  and  collection  of  arrears  as 
given  in  chapters  relating  to  their  work. 

Impress  upon  the  people  the  success  of  the  system 
by  announcing  the  final  results  of  the  canvass  in  the 
church  calendar  or  by  a  special  form  such  as  this : 

ai}c  JDupUi'  €ut)elope  anb  our  (!II)urcl) 

The  following  figurei  are  presented  to  show  how  the  Duplex  Envelope  System 
—introduced  into  our  church  about  a  month  ago— has  been  received  thus  far  by 
the  members : 

Number  of  members  who  have  signed  Pledge  Cards  .  . 

Number  who  have  not  signed  Fledge  Cards  .  , 

Number  who  have  used  the  "  Initial  Offering  *'  Envelope       .  . 

Number  who  have  not  used  the  «'  Initial  Offering  "  Envelope  .  . 

The  object  of  the  Duplex  System  is  to  enable  each  one  to  contribute  as  freely 
as  he  can  to  all  the  work  of  the  church,  but  with  the  least  possible  strain  upon 
his  resources.  Will  you  not  at  the  earliest  opportunity  fill  in  your  Pledge  Card 
and  mail  it  in  the  enclosed  stamped  envelope — using  the  "  Initial  Offering"  En- 
velope also  if  practicable  ?  By  responding  promptly  you  will  be  definitely  aid- 
ing in  the  work  of  putting  our  church  upon  the  best  possible  financial  basis. 


.Trbasurbr. 


Those  who  refuse  to  subscribe  should  be  dealt 
with  kindly  but  firmly.  If  a  molehill  has  been 
magnified  into  a  mountain,  the  trouble  can  usually 
be  remedied  by  allowing  them  to  tell  to  a  tactful 
committee  the  whole  story  of  their  grievances. 
Urge  them  to  realize  that  it  is  a  small  matter,  to 
forgive  and  forget  as  Christians  should.  If  they 
have  a  real  grievance,  remedy  it.  If  a  misunder- 
standing with  another  member  exists,  bring  them 
face  to  face  to  pray  about  it.  If  they  persist,  urge 
them  to  transfer  their  membership  to  some  other 
church,  since  the  church  can  get  along  without 
them  better  than  they  can  get  along  without  some 


178  Modem  Church  Finance 

church  home.  Some  churches  have  a  rule  that  any 
one  who  fails  to  contribute  for  two  years  after  re- 
peated appeals  shall  cease  to  be  a  regular  member, 
unless  they  have  a  good  excuse. 

Some  churches  print  a  list  of  subscribers  with 
the  amounts  pledged  at  the  beginning  of  the  church 
year  as  a  "  Roll  of  Honor."  Of  course  they  should 
be  reprinted  at  the  year's  end,  showing  payments. 

If  the  full  budget  is  not  secured,  have  a  special 
committee  make  an  immediate  recanvass  of  such  as 
should  increase,  reminding  them  that  "  it  is  not  fair 
to  expect  those  who  have  done  their  full  duty  to 
make  up  the  deficit,  and  you  will  be  called  on  for 
it  later  if  you  do  not  subscribe  more  now."  If  all 
are  uniformly  liberal,  a  ten  or  twenty  per  cent, 
universal  increase  is  sometimes  secured.  If  a  def- 
icit should  appear  inevitable,  raise  it  at  least  three 
months  before  the  next  canvass,  since  people  will 
pledge  better  when  they  have  not  recently  been 
asked  to  give. 

The  loose  offerings,  gifts  of  visitors,  pledges  from 
new  members,  etc.,  will  more  than  make  good  any 
shrinkage. 

After  a  vigorous  canvass,  pastor  and  officers  may 
feel  like  saying :  "  Let  us  forget  it  for  a  while." 
But  as  Professor  Hopkins  says :  "  There  are  critical 
periods  in  the  life  of  plants  when  some  small  meas- 
ure of  assistance  may  change  prospective  failure 
into  marked  success."  It  is  so  with  the  Every 
Member  Canvass  which  needs  attention  through 
the  year. 


The  Efficient  Canvass  and  FoUow-Up     179 

Watch  for  the  weeds  which  spring  up.  The 
misunderstandings  of  a  new  method  have  turned 
many  against  it.  Explain  kindly  and  in  detail 
how  to  use  the  double  pocket  envelope  until  every- 
body gets  the  habit  of  doing  it  right.  Little  mis- 
takes are  harder  to  correct  when  they  are  old. 
Arrears  are  more  easily  remedied  when  small. 

Every  one  needs  encouragement.  Appreciate  the 
givers.  Make  frequent  reference  to  the  blessings 
which  their  prompt  payments  bring  to  the  church. 
Optimistic  commendation  will  do  much  to  prevent 
arrears  and  prepare  for  larger  liberality.  Never 
nag,  nor  show  pessimism. 

Begin  at  once  to  prepare  for  the  next  annual 
canvass  by  educational,  social  and  other  activities 
as  suggested  in  Chapter  YI. 

Each  canvass  should  result  in  a  large  increase  in 
the  number  of  laymen  aglow  with  the  enthusiasm 
of  achievement  and  eager  for  "the  next  task." 
Give  them  something  to  do.  Give  some  of  them 
places  by  enlarging  your  Boards.  Some  churches 
organize  these  teams  for  permanent  ministries  pro- 
moting such  interests  as  these  suggested  by  the 
Commission  on  Finance  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church : 

Go-to-cliurch  or  Decision  day. 
Eally  day  for  the  church  and  its  depart- 
ments. 
Passion  week  services  or  revival  meetings. 
Gospel  team  work  or  community  extension. 
Individual  and  win-my-chum  evangelism. 


l8o  Modern  Church  Finance 

Making  community  survey  and  completing 

a  church  constituency  roll. 
Sunday-schools  for  needy  sections. 
Church  and  prayer-meeting  attendance. 


Circulation  of  church  periodicals. 

News  items  for  the  public  press. 

Organized  Bible  class  movement. 

Sunday-school  methods  and  literature. 

Mission  study  classes. 

Choral  societies  and  choruses. 

Getting  young  people  to  college. 

Keeping  in  touch  with  college  young  people. 

Work  among  boys  and  girls. 

Providing  and  directing  recreation. 


Bringing  aged  and  infirm  to  church  services. 
"Good  fellows"  for  Thanksgiving,  Christ- 
mas, etc. 
Surveys  of  local  industrial  conditions. 
Conducting  relief  or  employment  bureau. 
Church  and  community  census. 
Community  betterment. 
Public  reading  rooms. 
Community  amusements. 
Moral  safeguards. 
Police  vigilance. 
Public  playgrounds. 
Child  welfare  work. 
Health  conditions. 
Better  roads  conference. 
Better  schools  conference. 
Suppression  of  the  liquor  traffic. 


Keeping  Accounts  and  Collecting  Arrears 

EFFICIENCY  and  success  in  these  regards  are 
of  primary  importance.  Nothing  can  excuse 
the  failure  to  keep  the  records  accurate  and 
to  collect.  Church  support  and  benevolence  funds 
should  be  kept  entirely  distinct,  in  two  separate 
bank  accounts,  by  means  of  duplex  envelopes. 
However,  it  is  most  desirable,  even  if  the  duplex 
system  is  used,  to  employ  a  third  party  as  book- 
keeper for  both  funds,  who  shall  immediately  turn 
all  monies  over  to  the  respective  treasurers. 

To  employ  such  a  bookkeeper  or  financial  secre- 
tary will  relieve  the  treasurers  of  details  so  that 
prominent  men  can  accept  and  will  have  more  time 
to  look  after  the  general  financial  interests.  By 
using  a  duplex  record  the  two  accounts  can  be 
kept  as  easily  as  one,  without  danger  of  confusion. 
The  purchase  price  of  a  book  is  saved.  Names 
need  not  be  written  twice.  One  turning  of  the 
page  suffices  for  both  weekly  entries,  and  they  can 
be  posted  as  rapidly  as  either  account  separately. 
Time,  postage  and  printing  will  be  saved  by  mak- 
ing out  duplex  statements  and  mailing  them  in  one 
envelope,  while  any  error  in  putting  funds  in  the 

181 


i82  Modern  Church  Finance 

wrong  pocket,  or  in  putting  both  funds  in  one 
pocket,  can  be  remedied  more  satisfactorily.  Such 
record  books  can  be  secured  from  any  envelope 
publishing  company,  or  through  your  church  pub- 
lishing department. 

The  bookkeeper  is  chosen  by  the  finance  com- 
mittee, or  the  treasurers,  with  an  eye  single  to 
efficiency,  instead  of  elected.  He  should  have  a 
salary  as  do  janitors  and  organists,  because  of  the 
labor  involved  and  the  importance  of  his  work. 
To  tolerate  an  indifferent,  tactless  or  incompetent 
bookkeeper  is  sinful  waste.  A  good  one  will  save 
several  times  his  salary  by  reducing  delinquent 
pledges  and  keeping  folks  loyal  to  the  church,  and 
definite  requirements  can  be  made  as  to  promptness 
in  keeping  accounts,  attendance  on  board  meetings, 
audits,  etc.  The  salary  need  be  only  fifteen  or 
twenty-five  dollars  a  year  or  twenty-five  cents  an 
hour,  in  a  small  church,  but  large  churches  employ 
a  man  or  woman  for  full  time  as  business  man- 
ager or  financial  secretary.  In  the  early  Chris- 
tian centuries  many  a  bishop  had  an  assistant 
named  an  "  Economicus  "  who  was  occupied  solely 
with  monies  and  property  and  was  highly  re- 
spected. 

Single  or  married  women  who  live  at  home  and 
need  the  income,  office  men  and  women  who  need 
to  supplement  their  salaries,  centrally  located  bank 
clerks,  even  high  school  and  business  college  stu- 
dents, can  be  found  who  will  be  most  efficient. 
The  pastor  must  not  be  burdened  with  bookkeeping 


Keeping  Accounts  and  Collecting  Arrears    183 

any  more  than  with  sweeping  floors,  though  a 
deaconess  or  pastor's  assistant  can  frequently  as- 
sume the  task. 

The  essential  qualifications  are :  An  elementary 
knowledge  of  bookkeeping,  accuracy,  promptness, 
honesty  and  tact.  As  soon  as  possible  after  each 
Sabbath  service,  the  contributions  must  be  ac- 
curately and  permanently  recorded.  Loose  change 
should  be  immediately  counted  by  two  persons  and 
receipted  by  the  treasurers.  If  envelopes  are  not 
promptly  opened,  they  should  be  kept  in  a  safe 
place. 

Keeping  the  Accounts 
Open  the  envelopes  by  trimming  the  bottom 
with  scissors  and  note  the  contents  on  each  pocket 
with  a  blue  pencil.  Next  arrange  the  envelopes  in 
rows  of  100  in  numerical  order,  when  entries  can 
be  speedily  made  if  the  accounts  are  in  numerical 
order.  If  accounts  are  in  alphabetical  order,  a 
weekly  cash  sheet  with  printed  numbers  (see 
plate)  is  used,  from  which  permanent  entries  are 
made. 

In  making  entries,  two  persons  frequently  work 
together.  One  opens  the  envelopes,  noting  on 
them  the  contents,  while  the  assistant  enters  the 
amounts  in  the  cash  sheet  or  ledger  opposite  the 
envelope  number. 

In  many  churches,  to  save  time,  the  cash  sheets 
are  made  up  by  volunteers  at  the  close  of  the  serv- 
ice.    In  one  church,  the  writer  saw  twelve  men 


184  Modern  Church  Finance 

retire  to  a  small  room  at  the  close  of  the  service, 
during  the  opening  exercises  of  the  Sunday-school, 
where,  working  in  six  teams,  they  quickly  arranged 
the  envelopes  in  numerical  order,  made  up  and 
balanced  the  six  cash  sheets,  turned  the  marked 
envelopes  and  cash  sheets  to  the  bookkeeper,  and 
took  receipts  for  the  full  amount  from  the  treas- 
urer. 

Ketain  envelopes  and  cash  sheets  until  the  close 
of  the  year,  in  case  of  error  or  objections. 

Secure  receipts  or  bank  book  entries  for  weekly 
suras  paid  to  the  treasurers. 

Send  a  quarterly  "receipt  and  statement"  to 
every  subscriber  before  the  first  Sunday  of  each 
quarter.  (See  forms.)  In  churches  of  working 
folks,  they  may  be  sent  monthly.  If  the  account 
is  paid  up,  a  receipt  encourages  to  continue  the 
good  habit.  The  delinquents  cannot  object  if  they 
are  reminded  that "  receipts  "  are  necessary  and  are 
sent  to  all.  Children  especially  appreciate  receipts 
and  are  educated  to  lives  of  faithful  giving.  Non- 
pledgers  are  often  awakened  to  their  duty  by 
blank  receipts,  or  receipts  for  their  irregular  offer- 
ings. 

The  official  board  or  finance  committee  should 
receive  a  complete  statement  at  the  first  meeting 
after  the  close  of  each  quarter  as  to  payments  made 
to  the  treasurers,  the  various  items  of  receipts  as 
compared  with  the  preceding  year,  and  the  names, 
with  amount  in  arrears,  of  delinquent  subscribers 
who  should  be  promptly  followed  up  with  per- 


Keeping  Accounts  and  Collecting  Arrears    185 


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Section  of  loose  leaf  record  referred  to  on  next  page. 
Can  be  had  for  single  as  well  as  duplex  enrelopei^ 
from  W.  S.  McKay,  Grove  City,  Pa. 


l86  Modern  Church  Finance 

sonal  calls  if  they  do  not  pay  up  within  a  week  or 
two. 

Collect  as  many  delinquent  pledges  as  possible 
by  personal  interviews  at  the  church  or  in  the 
homes.  Meet  all  complaints  tactfully.  Nagging 
and  impertinence  are  apt  to  mean  reduced  or  can- 
celled subscriptions.  Personally  interview  those 
who  habitually  make  errors  in  payments. 

Print  the  quarterly  report  of  total  income,  arrears, 
etc.,  in  the  church  bulletin,  announce  it  from  the  pul- 
pit and  post  it  in  the  vestibule.  Better  still,  send  a 
copy  with  each  individual  statement.  Sometimes 
the  envelope  numbers  and  amounts  of  those  in  ar- 
rears are  printed  in  the  church  calendar  quarterly 
or  posted  in  the  vestibule.  Occasionally  a  church 
prints  annually,  or  quarterly,  a  list  of  the  sub- 
scribers, by  name  or  number,  with  payments 
during  the  quarter  and  arrears  or  overpayments 
if  any. 

Other  Methods  of  Bookkeeping 
Records  are  sometimes  made  on  the  reverse  side 
of  the  pledge  card,  or  by  a  special  card  accounting 
system.  These  and  an  exceedingly  modern  and 
businesslike  loose-leaf  system  are  illustrated  in  ac- 
companying plates.  The  latter  has  two  sheets  for 
each  subscriber,  the  first  sheet  being  perforated  into 
four  quarterly  statements  with  a  stub  for  totals. 
The  second  sheet  is  blank  and  of  a  different  color. 
As  the  bookkeeper  makes  each  entry,  a  carbon 
sheet  is  slipped  between  the  two  pages  and  two 


Keeping  Accounts  and  Collecting  Arrears    187 

copies  are  made.  At  the  end  of  each  quarter,  the 
perforated  record  is  torn  out  and  mailed  to  the 
subscriber,  the  carbon  copy  serving  as  the  book- 
keeper's record.  Since  the  expense  of  extra  quar- 
terly statements  is  saved  and  they  are  ready  with- 
out extra  trouble  at  the  end  of  the  quarter,  since 
the  subscriber  has  a  copy  of  the  original  record 
and  there  are  other  advantages,  while  the  expense 
is  but  a  trifle  more  than  the  cost  of  quarterly 
statements,  this  system  is  rapidly  growing  in  popu- 
larity. 

Sometimes,  especially  in  small  churches,  the 
treasurer  keeps  his  record,  or  a  copy  of  it,  in  a 
frame  in  the  vestibule  of  the  church.  Each  sub- 
scriber can  thus  see  each  week  whether  his  pay- 
ments have  been  credited  and  how  his  account 
stands.  Sometimes  numbers  are  used  instead  of 
names ;  or  the  amounts  are  not  given,  simply  an  X 
for  each  Sunday  paid.  Such  charts  can  be  secured 
from  MacCalla  &  Co.,  Dock  Street,  Philadelphia. 

More  About  Collecting  Arreaes 
There  should  be  no  arrears.  Prevention  is  better 
than  collection.  Where  the  dated  weekly  envelopes 
are  used,  arrears  are  less  common  since  their  un- 
used envelopes  show  exactly  what  each  subscriber 
owes  and  the  weekly  plan  makes  payments  easier. 
In  most  such  churches,  ninety-eight  per  cent,  of  the 
pledges  are  paid  faithfully,  but  those  who  do  not 
respond  promptly  should  be  tactfully  but  dili- 
gently dealt  with,  as  in  any  other  business.     The 


1 88  Modern  Church  Finance 

first  step  is  to  discover  the  causes.  Seven  types  of 
delinquents  must  be  variously  dealt  with. 

We  have,  first,  the  stingy,  who  never  pay  any- 
thing that  they  can  avoid,  pledged  or  unpledged,  in 
the  church  or  out  of  it.  Efforts  should  be  made  to 
convert  such  for  their  own  benefit  and  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  good  name  of  the  church. 
They  should  be  disciplined  if  they  persist,  dropped 
from  the  membership  after  repeated  warnings, 
since  "  the  Lord  can  save  their  stingy  souls  outside 
if  He  can  save  them  inside  the  church,  and  they 
will  not  be  stumbling-blocks  to  other  souls."  A 
church  which  ignores  such  "  dead-beat "  habits  be- 
comes "  particeps  criminis,"  and  its  pressure  may  be 
necessary  to  open  their  eyes  to  the  moral  obtuse- 
ness  of  failing  to  meet  obligations  to  God  or  men. 

Second,  we  have  the  thoughtless  and  negligent, 
usually  open-hearted  people  who  fail  to  realize 
either  the  church's  need  of  money,  the  need  of 
meeting  its  bills  promptly  or  borrowing,  or  their 
own  personal  responsibility.  They  will  respond 
readily  when  shown  that  the  church  needs  their 
money.  A  few  heart  to  heart  talks  will  usually 
cure  the  worst  cases. 

Third,  the  class  which  attends  irregularly  must 
be  induced  to  attend,  or  some  difiiculty  may  al- 
ways be  experienced  in  collecting. 

Fourth,  the  spendthrifts  who  are  honest  at  heart 
but  are  continually  spending  beyond  their  income 
whether  it  be  two  or  twenty  dollars  a  day,  need 
friendly    help     to    study    financial    economy,    to 


Keeping  Accounts  and  Collecting  Arrears    189 

strengthen  their  wills  for  self-denial,  so  that  they 
can  both  do  their  duty  to  the  church  and  save 
something  for  their  future. 

Fifth,  those  whose  income  from  labor  or  salary 
or  dividends  is  meagre,  leaving  a  very  small  margin 
above  actual  necessities  so  that  it  is  almost  impos- 
sible to  pay  up  if  they  once  fall  in  arrears,  need  to 
be  kindly  taught  the  strict  necessity  of  regularity. 

Sixth,  those  who  have  some  grievance,  real  or 
fancied,  against  the  church,  the  pastor  or  the  officers, 
must  be  made  to  realize  that  it  is  really  the  Lord 
whom  they  are  robbing,  and  His  work. 

Seventh,  those  who  honestly  cannot  pay  in- 
cludes both  those  who  were  overpersuaded  by  the 
canvassers  or  by  their  own  enthusiasm  and  pledged 
too  much  ;  and  those  who  have  been  unfortunate  in 
the  way  of  illness  or  financial  reverses  since  the 
pledges  were  made,  etc.  All  these  should  be  dealt 
with  personally  and  kindly,  offering  to  cancel  their 
pledges  or  reduce  them  to  a  reasonable  basis,  or  to 
cancel  the  arrears  and  suspend  the  pledges  until 
they  are  able  to  resume  them  ;  as  many  lodges  do 
and  as  Christian  churches  must  do. 

Such  sympathetic  treatment,  proof  that  the 
church  really  loves  them  rather  than  their  money, 
will  bind  them  to  the  church  permanently  by  bonds 
of  steel,  securing  far  more  money  in  the  future. 
As  a  further  practical  proof  of  Christian  Brother- 
hood, aid  should  be  given  from  the  deacon's  fund 
or  indirectly  or  employment  found  for  them.  Folks 
in  this  class  often  cease  to  attend  when  they  cannot 


igo  Modern  Church  Finance 

pay.  If  their  arrears  are  allowed  to  accumulate 
and  repeated  statements  are  sent,  their  hearts,  un- 
usually sensitive  under  such  conditions,  become  em- 
bittered. They  both  lose  the  benefit  of  the  church 
and  are  lost  to  the  church. 

It  should  be  understood,  possibly  printed  on  the 
pledge :  "  Any  pledge  can  be  reduced  or  cancelled 
at  any  time  by  giving  notice  in  writing  to  the  treas- 
urer or  secretary."  Where  responses  do  not  come 
within  two  or  three  weeks,  supplement  the  quar- 
terly statements  by  a  personal  call  by  the  pastor, 
treasurer,  bookkeeper,  paid  collector,  the  commit- 
tee which  secured  the  pledge  or  best  of  all  a  care- 
fully chosen  team  of  church  officers.  If  they  find 
good  reason  for  delay,  they  can  withdraw  without 
mentioning  money.  If  they  find  cause,  they  ex- 
press the  sympathy  of  the  church,  offering  to  can- 
cel the  pledge  and  to  give  help.  Otherwise  they 
should  insist  upon  prompt  payments.  Legal  col- 
lection should  be  made  only  in  the  most  flagrant 
cases,  if  it  is  ever  justified  except  in  the  case  of 
large  pledges  for  buildings  and  equipment.  It  is 
well  to  print  in  pledges :  "  All  pledges  not  made 
weekly  are  due  quarterly  in  advance."  Some 
churches  allow  a  discount  for  cash  in  advance. 

A  USEFUL  PLEDGE  AND  RECORD  CARD 

With  explanation  reproduced  from  "  Men  and  Missions  ^  ^ 

Each  year  preceding  our  Every  Member  Canvass, 
a  card  is  filled  out  for  each  member  with  the  name 


Keeping  Accounts  and  Collecting  Arrears    191 

and  address  in  the  spaces  at  the  left  hand  end  of  the 
card.  These  cards  are  then  given  to  the  canvassers 
with  explicit  instructions  that  each  card  must  be  filled 
out  by  the  person  whose  name  appears  on  it,  or  re- 
turned blank  with  an  explanation  as  to  why  the  indi- 
vidual made  no  pledge. 

The  back  of  the  card  is  so  arranged  that  upon  it  all 
the  payments  on  the  pledge  can  be  entered.  Across 
the  back  of  the  card  the  name  is  written  again,  and 
the  number  of  that  person's  envelopes.  The  amount 
of  the  pledge  is  also  copied  on  the  back  so  that  the 
secretary  need  not  turn  the  card  to  make  the  entry  in 
his  record  book  or  when  he  makes  out  the  quarterly 
statement.  The  card  is  so  arranged  that  it  can  be  in- 
troduced at  any  time  of  the  year.  The  quarterly 
statement  is  obtained  by  running  up  each  column  of 
figures.  The  balance  due  or  overpaid  is  carried  for- 
ward into  the  next  quarter's  statement.  At  the  end 
of  the  card  there  is  space  for  the  report  of  the  year  by 
quarters,  and  the  final  footing. 

We  also  use  these  cards  for  the  total  receipts  of  each 
Sunday,  such  as  the  total  church  offering,  loose  offer- 
ing, communion  fund  and  missionary  offering. 

In  addition  to  these  points  it  has  all  the  advantages 
of  the  modern  card  catalogue  systems. 


192 


Modern  Church  Finance 


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Keeping  Accounts  and  Collecting  Arrears    193 


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194  Modern  Church  Finance 

Two  Good  Forms  of  Quarterly  Statements  s 
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Keeping  Accounts  and  Collecting  Arrears    195 

QUARTERLY  RECEIPT  AND  STATEMENT 


In  order  to  correct  promptly  any  possible  errors  in  accounts,  as 
well  as  to  prevent  unintentional  arrears  in  payments,  the  Session  has 
a  Quarterly  Receipt  and  Statement  sent  to  every  person  subscribing 
to  the  funds  of  this  church. 

At  the  close  of  the  quarter  ending ,  191 ,  your 

accounts  stood  as  follows : — 

Current  Expenses  Benevolences 

$ Balance  due  from  Previous  Quarter        $ - 

$ Amount  payable  during  the  Quarter        $ ~. 

$ Total  due  at  end  of  Quarter  $ 

$ Total  paid  during  Quarter  $ ^ 

$ Balance  now  due  $. « 

To 


This  can  be  printed  on  the  quarterly  statement 
or  on  a  separate  slip  in  red  : 


CARMEL  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 


Dear  Fellow-Member : 

An  earnest  effort  to  reduce  the  amount 

as  shown  by  enclosed  statement,  or  if  possible 

to  bring  it  paid  up  to  date,  will  be  appreciated 

by  the 

Finance  Committee* 


196 


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W,  Burroughs,  Box  636,  Auburn,  N,  Y, 


Keeping  Accounts  and  Collecting  Arrears      197 


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Foe  Small  Churches 
A  very  inexpensive  quarterly  record  sheet  for  duplex 
envelopes,  which  permits  of  weekly  totals.  Furnished 
with  other  forms  by  J.  W.  Burroughs,  Box  636,  Auburn, 
N.  Y.,  in  either  pocket  or  larger  sizes,  with  loose  leaf 
books  of  similar  sizes. 


198 


Modern  Church  Finance 


Many  churches  publish  a  list  of  the  membership 
in  the  manual  like  this : 


An.  Sub.  to  Benev.   . 

1000 
156 
104 

260 
156 

1300 

Amount  Paid  .... 

IC8          8       88  8 

Sub.  Parsonage  Fund 

0001 

OOOOI 

OOOOI 

OOOI 

ooS 
00  oS 

Sub.  Ensuing  Year  . 

1000 

520 
300 

104 

52 
500 
104 

5000 

2080 

250 

Amount  Overpaid  .    . 

^^          "28^ 

Amount  Due  .... 

s 

Amount  paid  .... 

1000 

1000 

180 
170 

520 
108 

5000 
2080 

250 

< 

Due  March  31st  .    .    . 

1000 

520 

300 

248 

52 
500 
104 

5000 
2080 

250 

Regular  Subscription 

1000 

520 
300 

104 

52 
500 

I  04 

5000 
2080 

250 

HI 

X 

Balance  Last  Year  .    . 

5 

-5 

S.  Spring  . 

Stewart  .  . 

** 

Kansas  .  . 
N.  Walnut 

Burrell  .    . 

E.  Market 
Maple    .    . 

Numerical  Roll  .    .    . 

t^  0    t>.         VOO    t^OO    N           u-,t>.00 

1 
2 

Bell,  Mrs.  Mary   .    . 
Boesman,  Alexander 
Boesman,  Mrs.  Mary 
Boyd,  Wm.  R  .    .    . 
Bowman,  Mrs.  J.  I. 
Bowman,  Margaret . 
Bowman,  Dick   I.  . 
Bratton,  Mrs.    Isle  . 
Bratton,  R.  Callen  . 

Carson,  Dr.   J.  B.  . 
Clawson,  Geo.   L.  . 
Clawson,  Mrs.Geo.  L. 

XI 

Efficient  Church  Treasurers 

THE  success  of  any  system  of  church  finance 
depends  largely  upon  efficient  treasurers 
and  bookkeepers.  These  are  not  honorary 
offices  but  positions  of  great  responsibility.  Church 
treasurers  should  be  men  of  the  highest  reputation, 
whose  names  will  inspire  confidence  when  signed 
to  letters  and  statements,  and  who  can  speak  ac- 
ceptably from  the  pulpit  before  the  Every  Member 
Canvass  in  behalf  of  their  respective  causes.  They 
should  either  have  a  special  interest  in  the  work  or 
be  of  the  type  that  is  faithful  to  the  utmost  in  any 
responsibility. 

Every  church  should  have  two  treasurers,  one  for 
current  expenses  and  one  for  benevolences.  For  a 
church  treasurer  to  mix  these  two  or  other  ac- 
counts, to  borrow  from  one  fund  on  behalf  of  the 
other,  or  to  confuse  them  with  his  private  funds  in 
his  bank  account  or  otherwise,  is  most  unbusiness- 
like and  unwise.  It  arouses  suspicion,  cuts  the 
nerve  of  interest  and  liberality,  opens  the  way  to 
reflections  on  his  honesty,  and  in  many  states  is  a 
direct  violation  of  the  criminal  laws  relating  to  em- 
bezzlement and  "  inside  loans."  No  business  man 
would  dream  of  doing  these  things. 

199 


200  Modern  Church  Finance 

The  "  Every  Member  Duplex  System  "  greatly  in- 
creases the  labor  of  bookkeeping,  but  it  is  well 
justified  by  the  vastly  enlarged  income  and  the  in- 
creased efficiency  in  all  lines,  and  the  strongest  men 
will  accept  the  treasurerships  when  given  proper  as- 
sistance to  keep  the  accounts. 

As  suggested  in  the  preceding  chapter,  one  book- 
keeper should  keep  all  accounts,  turning  over  the 
funds  each  week  to  the  respective  treasurers.  In  a 
large  church,  the  bookkeeper  should  receive  a  salary. 
Sometimes  volunteer  assistants  can  be  secured  for 
the  bookkeeping ;  one  for  the  accounts  of  adults 
and  another  for  the  accounts  of  the  Sabbath  school 
children. 

Bankers  make  exceptionally  good  treasurers  but 
it  is  usually  unwise  for  banks  to  collect  funds  in 
their  corporate  capacities,  unless  for  debts  or  build- 
ing purposes,  since  many  subscribers  respond  best 
to  individual  attention  from  the  bookkeeper.  In 
many  churches,  treasurers  give  bond  just  like  treas- 
urers of  corporations. 

The  treasurer  should  insure  efficient  bookkeeping 
by  doing  it  himself,  or  by  selecting,  training  and 
overseeing  those  who  do.  He  should  see  that  the 
most  businesslike  and  up-to-date  methods  are  used 
as  outlined  in  the  preceding  chapter.  He  should 
require  full  monthly  statements  from  the  book- 
keeper and  check  them  with  his  bank  book  ;  should 
report  monthly  to  the  Board  the  various  items  paid, 
amounts  received,  balance  on  hand,  and  bills  paya- 
ble ;  should  make  such  reports  to  the  congregation, 


Efficient  Church  Treasurers  20l 

at  least  quarterly,  from  the  pulpit,  in  the  church 
calendar  or  by  enclosures  with  the  individual  state- 
ments ;  should  protect  his  good  name,  as  all  business 
men  do,  by  making  payments  only  as  directed  by 
the  Board,  on  warrants  or  orders  signed  by  the  pres- 
ident or  secretary  ;  and  should  pay  only  by  voucher 
checks  so  that  receipts  will  be  available.  Usually 
he  will  refuse  to  count  the  loose  offering  except  in 
the  presence  of  another. 

Salary  and  other  regular  fixed  payments  can  be 
made  on  a  permanent  order,  and  should  be  made 
promptly  on  the  first  of  each  month,  or  week,  even 
if  the  money  must  be  borrowed,  since  pastors  and 
janitors  need  their  salaries  and  a  church  should  be 
an  example  to  the  whole  community  of  prompt- 
ness and  honor  and  efficiency  in  meeting  obli- 
gations. Before  vacation,  or  for  special  needs,  a 
special  call  in  the  church  bulletin  or  by  letter 
will  usually  secure  sufficient  advance  payments  on 
pledges  to  meet  the  bills  while  some  subscribers  are 
absent. 

The  missionary  treasurer  should  remit  quarterly, 
or  monthly  if  the  church  is  large,  since  the  Boards 
must  meet  their  bills  regularly  each  week  and  are 
compelled  to  borrow  if  the  funds  do  not  come  in. 
Some  denominational  agencies  must  spend  thousands 
of  dollars  for  interest  each  year,  which  could  be 
saved  if  church  treasurers  would  remit  regularly. 
In  remitting,  specify  carefully  the  name  of  the 
church,  the  society  to  w^hich  credit  may  be  given, 
the  special  object,  if  any,  etc.     If  the  benevolence 


202  Modem  Church  Finance 

budget  plan  is  used,  a  pro  rata  distribution  can  be 
made  to  all  the  Boards  each  remittance  period,  or 
the  entire  fund  on  hand  can  be  sent  to  a  different 
Board  each  month,  the  percentage  due  each  Board 
being  adjusted  in  the  final  remittances  of  the 
year. 

The  church  treasurer  should  be  more  than  a 
mere  depositary  of  funds.  In  the  average  church 
he  is  the  only  one  who  understands  the  financial 
system  from  A  to  Z.  His  eye  alone  can  detect  all 
the  financial  shoals  and  rocks.  He  should  see  that 
the  finance  Board  or  committee  is  efficient  in  hold- 
ing regular  meetings,  in  approving  bills,  in  al- 
lowing a  liberal  budget,  in  making  efficient 
preparation  for  the  annual  campaign,  in  personally 
interviewing  members  who  pledge  inadequately, 
etc. 

He  should  be  a  sort  of  church  comptroller,  an 
expert  in  all  financial  needs  and  methods,  making 
all  suggestions  which  are  for  the  good  of  the 
church.  If  the  church  needs  a  new  building  or  a 
working  surplus,  he  should  insist  on  it.  He 
should  study  the  budget  and  recommend  the  neces- 
sary items,  and  should  keep  an  itemized  ledger 
record  of  payments.  A  good  form  is  shown  at  the 
close  of  the  chapter. 

He  should  insure  that  careful  annual  audits,  not 
mere  whitewashing  statements,  are  made  of  all  ac- 
counts of  every  treasurer  in  the  church,  from  the 
Junior  Band  to  the  building  fund,  both  to  reassure 
the  congregation,  to  protect  the  reputations  of  the 


•Efficient  Church  Treasurers  203 

treasurers  and  to  avoid  temptation.  A  prominent 
church  treasurer  says  :  "  I  want  my  accounts  in  such 
shape  that  the  bank  examiner  would  approve  them 
any  week  as  he  does  the  books  of  my  bank."  That 
is  business  sense.  To  oppose  a  thorough  audit  is, 
in  the  business  world,  to  arouse  suspicion.  Only 
those  whose  deeds  are  dark  and  evil  fear  the 
light. 

A  church  treasurer  in  Pennsylvania,  of  the  high- 
est family,  who  had  served  twenty  years,  was  found 
to  have  misappropriated  over  ;^3,000  during  ten 
years.  His  friends  made  up  the  amount  but  the 
church  was  badly  injured  and  his  reputation  was 
gone.  He  bitterly  rebuked  the  officers,  saying : 
"  You  refused  to  audit  my  books  twenty  years  ago 
when  I  insisted  upon  it.  After  ten  years,  during 
which  you  made  no  investigation,  financial  reverses 
came  and  the  temptation  was  too  great  to  resist. 
You  are  to  blame  for  forcing  me  into  temptation  by 
your  failure  as  to  audits."  A  state's  prison  has  an 
inmate  who  declares  that  he  learned  to  steal  when 
treasurer  of  a  Sunday-school  where  his  accounts 
were  not  audited,  and  carried  the  plan  into  the 
bank  ;  the  wife  of  a  prominent  minister  confessed  to 
embezzling  over  ;^2,500  from  a  state  Missionary  So- 
ciety ;  and  a  Christian  Endeavor  treasurer  appro- 
priated ;^200  for  speculation ; — all  of  whom  were 
unduly  tempted  by  the  certainty  that  there  would 
be  no  audits. 

Deposit  all  funds  in  the  bank  promptly  when  re- 
ceived and  permit  no  overdrafts.     Prevent  the  in- 


204  Modern  Church  Finance 

vestment  of  endowment  or  other  funds  where  there 
is  any  danger  of  loss.  Safeguard  trust  funds  for 
churches  as  carefully  as  those  of  widows.  See  that 
all  deeds  and  papers  are  legal  and  safe  and  that 
ample  insurance  is  maintained. 

Insist  on  a  financial  policy  which  will  solve  all 
financial  problems  to-morrow  by  teaching  the  chil- 
dren to  give  liberally,  by  making  the  church  worth 
supporting,  by  promoting  such  publicity  as  will 
maintain  confidence,  etc.  Keep  after  new  members. 
A  Philadelphia  treasurer  who  personally  interviews 
each  one  reports  that  124  of  the  127  new  mem- 
bers received  in  one  year  responded  gladly  with 
liberal  pledges. 

Glorify  your  work.  It  is  primarily  spiritual  for 
it  means  the  development  of  faith  and  love  and  the 
extension  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  through  liberality. 
One  treasurer  has  credit  for  adding  ^^3,000  per  year 
to  the  benevolence  income  of  his  church,  which  will 
support  three  missionary  evangelists  and  bless 
thousands  of  souls.  Many  a  church  treasurer  has 
brought  his  church  from  poverty  and  inefficiency 
to  great  power  by  increasing  its  income.  The 
diligence  and  intelligence  and  tact  which  you 
exercise  will  benefit  the  church  at  every  point. 

On  the  other  hand,  some  treasurers  prostitute 
their  responsibilities.  One  in  Illinois  sought  to 
make  friends  for  his  furniture  and  undertaking 
business  by  allowing  church  pledges  to  remain  un- 
collected. A  Michigan  druggist  and  many  others 
have  emulated  him. 


Efficient  Church  Treasurers  205 

Quarterly  Statements  to  Treasurers 

Treasurer  of  the  Current  Expease  Fund. 
Dear  Sir  :— 

During  the  quarter  ending ,191.., 

I  deposited  to  your  credit  as  Treasurer,   in   the  .    .    . 

Bank  of ,  the  total 

amount  written  below. 

According  to  instructions  of  contributors,  or  to  agree- 
ments or  public  announcements  when  contributed,  this  total 
is  to  be  distributed  as  follows : — 

General  Church  Fund       -        -        $ 

Salaries    -        -         -        -        -        $ 

Debt $.,,,, 

Building  Fund  -        -        -        -        $ 

Special  Fund  for $ 

Total      -       -       -       $ 

Financial  Secretary. 
A    similar  note    should    go    to  the  Treasurer  of  the 
Benevolence  Fund. 


CHURCH 

Dear  Friend  : 

We  are  entering  upon  the  final  quarter  of  the  fiscal 
year  of  our  church,  and  your  board  of  trustees  are  quite 
anxious  to  make  a  complete  report  with  a  clean  balance 
sheet  for  the  year.  Will  you  co-operate  during  the  com- 
ing quarter  and  earnestly  try  to  pay  the  amount,  as 
per  enclosed  statement,  on  or  before  the  last  Sunday  in 
March  ? 

A  little  additional  each  Sunday  over  the  amount 
promised  will  soon  have  your  account  balanced  on  the 
church  books. 

Thanking  you,  sincerely  yours, 

Finance  Committee 

Board  of  Trustees. 


2o6 


Modern  Church  Finance 


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XII 
The  Pastor  and  Church  Finance 

TWO  utterly  divergent  views  exist  as  to  the 
relation  which  the  minister  should  hold  to 
the  finances  of  his  congregation.  "Which 
of  these  shall  prevail  ?  Shall  he  utterly  ignore 
these  interests,  by  his  own  preference  or  by  the 
action  of  his  officers,  or  shall  he  take  a  leading 
place  in  their  management  ?  Shall  he  make  the 
canvass  for  funds  and  keep  the  books,  or  shall  he 
remain  indifferent  as  to  whether  the  bills  are  paid 
or  not,  and  as  to  whether  Scriptural  or  immoral 
methods  are  used  ? 

A  brilliant  preacher  recently  declared :  "  The 
money  business  of  my  church  is  no  concern  of 
mine.  I  am  a  spiritual  minister  and  have  nothing 
to  do  with  its  business.  I  am  here  to  proclaim  the 
truth  and  save  souls.  The  material  and  secular 
concerns  of  the  church  belong  entirely  to  the  lay- 
men." 

A  neighboring  pastor,  with  no  more  education 
and  less  pulpit  ability,  whose  church  is  less  fortu- 
nately situated  (and  was  always  less  successful  until 
these  two  men  came  to  these  parishes  six  years  ago), 
but  which  is  now  rapidly  outstripping  the  other 
church  in  membership  and  attendance,  in  mission- 

208 


The  Pastor  and  Church  Finance        209 

ary  gifts  and  educational  efficiency,  in  devotional 
and  social  enthusiasm,  partially  explains  his  splen- 
did success  by  stating :  "  I  concern  myself  with  the 
finances  of  ray  church  as  earnestly  as  with  my 
sermons.  Liberality  is  essential  to  growth  in  spir- 
ituality. If  the  officers  are  unfaithful,  if  the  finan- 
cial standards  are  inadequate,  if  the  members  fail 
to  give  as  they  should  either  in  measure  or  methods, 
if  a  debt  or  deficit  throws  its  chilling  shadow  over 
our  faith,  if  unpaid  bills  or  money-raising  evils  dis- 
credit us  in  the  community  as  unsuccessful  or  dis- 
honorable ;  then  the  church  suffers  at  every  point, 
the  Kingdom  is  delayed,  and  the  name  of  Christ 
and  the  wisdom  and  power  of  God  are  dishonored. 
I  believe  the  pastor  is  more  responsible  than  all 
others  for  financial  conditions.  When  they  gave 
me  a  call,  my  officers  suggested  that  I  attend  to 
the  spiritual  interests  and  they  to  the  secular  in- 
terests of  the  church,  but  I  reminded  them  that 
finances  are  just  as  spiritual  as  prayer-meetings, 
and  that  I  would  not  accept  the  call  unless  they 
were  willing  to  have  me  with  them  as  their  chief 
adviser  in  all  their  financial  deliberations,  and 
would  help  me  in  the  business  which  they  had 
hitherto  considered  as  exclusively  mine." 

Certainly,  while  the  minister  should  be  very 
tactful,  he  should  share  largely  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  church  finances.  Like  every  institu- 
tion, andliker^e  human  body  to  which  it  is  con- 
stantly-^ened,  a  church  is  a  unity.  Disease  in 
any  member  affects  the  whole  body.     If  a  hand  or 


210  Modern  Church  Finance 

an  eye  is  inefficient,  all  the  other  members  share 
the  penalties.  So  in  a  church,  if  either  pulpit  work 
or  finances  be  inefficient,  the  other  suffers  as  do  the 
educational  and  devotional  interests,  for  all  are 
vitally  interdependent. 

Practical  men  everywhere  now  admit  that  every 
corporation  and  institution  from  a  vast  army  to  a 
country  club,  from  a  great  factory  to  a  village 
church,  must  have  a  single  directing  head.  In  a 
church,  for  several  reasons,  this  responsible  indi- 
vidual head  must  be  the  pastor.  He  alone  devotes 
his  entire  life  to  the  interests  involved  and  his  en- 
tire time  to  the  problems  to  be  solved.  Ko  one 
else  comes  into  complete  and  constant  touch  with 
the  policies  and  needs  and  attitudes  of  all  the  or- 
ganizations and  individuals  concerned.  No  one  else 
has  opportunity  either  to  see  the  entire  work  of  the 
congregation  without  partiality,  or  to  study  the 
workings  and  meet  the  leaders  of  other  churches 
which  are  accomplishing  large  things. 

If  a  church  is  hampered  at  any  point  by  its 
finances,  the  officers  usually  blame  the  pastor. 
Financial  poverty  stands  against  his  name  on  the 
denominational  records  so  as  to  interfere  with  his 
call  to  another  field.  If  the  finances  are  so  mis- 
managed as  to  neutralize  his  sermons  and  policies, 
he  is  spending  his  life  in  vain  and  his  sacrifices  be- 
come a  disgrace  rather  than  a  glory.  He  cannot 
know  what  message  is  most  needed  from  the  pulpit 
if  he  is  denied  insight  into  the  spiritual  conditions 
which  financial  facts  reveal  most  accurately. 


The  Pastor  and  Church  Finance        211 

For  the  nation  to  deny  to  the  president  all  par- 
ticipation in  the  financing  of  the  government  would 
be  regarded  as  an  unpardonable  injustice.  The 
pastor  has  an  equal  right  to  a  large  share  in  de- 
termining the  financial  policies  which  shall  in 
large  degree  make  or  mar  his  usefulness. 

While  conditions  alter  cases,  a  pastor  would  ordi- 
narily be  justified  in  resigning  a  church  where  he 
was  not  permitted  to  share  in  managing  this  and 
all  other  departments.  The  pastor  who  neglects 
to  study  this  phase  of  God's  work  and  to  influence 
and  inspire  officers  and  people  to  Scriptural  prac- 
tices, to  the  limit  of  his  ability  and  opportunity,  is 
failing  in  a  vital  duty. 

Objections  Answered 
A  pastor  is  frequently  denied  a  share  in  the 
financial  policy  because  "  it  is  not  our  custom  for 
him  to  meddle  with  the  work  of  the  trustees." 
But  customs  and  traditions  are  not  infallible  and 
this  should  be  promptly  corrected. 

He  may  lack  experience  in  commercial  business 
but  this  lack  is  largely  counterbalanced  by  religious 
experience  and  by  experience  with  church  work  in 
all  its  phases  and  in  many  churches,  and  by  special 
study  of  church  management.  Besides,  success  in 
one  business  is  no  guarantee  of  success  in  another. 
Successful  promoters  and  bankers  often  fail  when 
they  exchange  fields.  Because  the  fundamental 
conditions  are  so  different  from  his  daily  business, 
because  of  his  inability  to  understand  some  peculiar 


212  Modern  Church  Finance 

essentials  to  church  finance  success  such  as  perfect 
democracy,  voluntary  response,  and  spiritual  mo- 
tives ;  the  successful  business  man  often  fails  sadly 
with  church  finances  where  his  "  impractical  min- 
ister "  will  succeed  wonderfully.  Of  course  capac- 
ities for  administrative  leadership  vary  among 
clergymen,  but  this  is  a  matter  of  individuals,  not 
of  ordination. 

That  his  salary  is  involved  is  an  inadequate  ob- 
jection. A  successful  pastor  wisely  replies  :  "  I  re- 
ceive support,  not  a  salary.  Your  honor  and  your 
contract  guarantee  my  income.  It  is  fixed  and  I 
am  certain  of  it.  I  am  not  personally  concerned 
as  to  how  you  raise  it.  But  as  the  spiritual  leader 
of  your  church,  God  expects  me  to  prevent  any 
policies  which  will  reduce  its  efiiciency  as  a  divine 
institution,  and  to  recommend  and  help  with 
finances  just  as  mayors  and  governors  do  with 
the  budgets  which  include  their  salaries." 

That  the  minister  is  not  a  pledged  contributor 
has  no  weight.  Usually  he  is  a  direct  contributor. 
Always,  he  has  sacrificed  more  than  half  of  his 
possible  income  for  the  sake  of  being  a  minister 
(see  chapter  on  ministerial  salaries),  and  has  a  right 
to  insure  that  his  sacrifices  are  not  in  vain  since  no 
one  else  invests  so  much. 

Undoubtedly  his  primary  duties  are  pulpit  and 
pastoral.  Also,  his  members  need  the  spiritual  de- 
velopment and  church  loyalty  which  can  be  devel- 
oped only  by  undertaking  church  responsibilities 
and  work  of  which  the  finance  work  is  specially 


The  Pastor  and  Church  Finance        213 

suited  to  their  tastes  and  experiences.  But  his 
participation  with  these  men  in  this  work  will  help 
to  secure  their  confidence  and  to  teach  them  the 
spiritual  meaning  of  their  activities. 

For  him  to  know  what  each  one  pledges  will  do 
no  harm.  One  pastor  says :  "  I  want  to  know  all 
the  exact  pledges.  That  does  not  impel  me  to 
partiality  for  my  liberal  members.  On  the  con- 
trary, as  Christ  came  not  to  call  the  righteous  but 
sinners,  so  /  am  partial  rather  to  the  stingy ^  as  to 
the  drunkards,  to  the  Matthews  and  Zaccheuses, 
seeking  by  visits,  friendship,  personal  example  and 
suggestion  to  stimulate  them  to  do  right.  Men, 
like  trees,  are  known  by  their  fruits.  Until  I  know 
the  measure  of  a  man's  liberality,  I  cannot  fully 
understand  his  spiritual  diseases  and  needs.  Like- 
wise it  is  a  great  source  of  strength  to  know  how 
many  are  making  heroic  and  sacrificial  pledges." 

What  the  Minister  Should  Do 
The  minister  should  set  an  example  of  liberality 
and  right  methods  by  his  own  pledges  to  church 
support  and  benevolences.  He  is  not  merely  con- 
tributing to  his  salary,  for  other  expenses  are  met 
out  of  the  church  budget.  Besides,  he  and  his 
family  should  always  bear  a  share  in  the  support 
of  the  gospel  in  the  church  where  they  receive 
their  spiritual  and  social  benefits.  If  his  salary  is 
small,  it  is  more  likely  to  be  raised  if  his  people 
know  that  he  is  liberal.  If  he  has  many  calls  for 
contributions  outside  of  his  church,  yet  his  first 


214  Modern  Church  Finance 

obligation  is  to  teach  others  by  giving  through  his 
church.  If  he  has  regular  obligations,  he  should 
have  his  church  assume  these.  An  Indiana  pastor, 
who,  unknown  to  his  people,  was  contributing 
$150  per  year  to  his  college  out  of  a  $2,000  salary, 
was  able  to  lead  them  to  treble  their  benevolences 
by  putting  this  in  the  church  budget  so  that  he 
might  set  an  open  example  of  liberality  by  pledg- 
ing it  through  the  church.  "  Let  your  light  shine 
before  men,"  ...  do  not  "put  it  under  a 
bushel."  Many  a  pastor  who  has  given  his  tithe 
through  the  church  has  received  a  salary  raise  of  a 
fifth  as  his  example  wrought  its  influence  on  the 
entire  church.  A  student  who  became  pastor  of  a 
country  church  which  gave  only  $12  per  year  to 
benevolences,  and  paid  him  a  salary  of  only  $750, 
immediately  pledged  $75  to  church  and  benevo- 
lences. Within  two  years  his  salary  was  $1,100 
and  the  church  benevolences  increased  twenty 
fold. 

He  must  give  at  least  one  annual  sermon  along 
the  lines  of  stewardship  and  finance.  Is  it  not  a 
striking  fact  that  Jesus  ended  His  last  great  public 
sermon,  on  the  last  day  of  His  temple  ministry,  in 
connection  with  His  teachings  concerning  the  resur- 
rection and  His  divinity,  with  instruction  concern- 
ing liberality  ?  To  teach  His  disciples  with  utmost 
emphasis  that  they  must  continue  His  work  in  this 
line,  He  called  them  to  Him  (Mark  xii.  43)  and 
taught  them  to  take  special  note  of  how  the  poor 
widow,  the  rich,  and  all  the  multitude  contributed. 


The  Pastor  and  Church  Finance        215 

If  there  is  traditional  opposition,  have  your 
finance  board  or  committee  officially  request  the 
sermon.  Just  before  it  is  delivered,  read,  or  have 
an  officer  announce,  their  official  request.  Then 
the  pastor  need  feel  no  delicacy  and  the  sermon 
comes  with  double  authority.  Every  indirect  op- 
portunity for  stewardship  emphasis  should  be  mag- 
nified, such  as  the  offertory,  legitimate  applications 
of  frequent  sermons,  etc.  If  theological  schools 
and  sermon  volumes  give  little  help  in  this  direc- 
tion, so  much  the  worse  for  them. 

He  must  cooperate  with  the  officers.  Not  only 
should  he  regularly  attend  meetings  of  finance 
boards  and  committees,  but  he  should  diligently 
seek  to  aid  them  in  discovering  and  adapting  the 
most  successful  methods  and  plans.  He  can  secure 
unity  of  finance  management  by  calling  joint  con- 
ferences of  all  boards  and  department  officers,  can 
secure  early  action  adopting  the  budget  for  the 
year,  can  aid  in  perfecting  plans  for  the  annual 
canvass  and  in  putting  them  into  effect,  can  help 
wonderfully  in  the  preparation  of  the  plans  and 
the  canvassers  and  the  people,  can  give  invaluable 
data  to  the  committee  which  prepares  the  lists  of 
persons  to  be  canvassed  and  suggestions  to  their 
pledges,  can  announce  the  progress  of  finances 
through  the  year,  etc.  More  than  any  one  else  he 
has  opportunity  to  know  intimately  the  financial 
abilities  of  many  of  the  members  and  to  hear  criti- 
cisms of  existing  policies  of  which  the  committee 
should  be  informed.     Above  all,  he  should  seek  by 


2i6  Modern  Church  Finance 

personal  interv  lews  to  clinch  his  sermons  on  stew- 
ardship, to  stimulate  the  canvassers  to  be  efficient, 
and  to  arouse  his  members  of  large  financial  ability 
to  recognize  their  duties  beyond  their  church 
pledges  by  making  special  contributions  to  the 
work  of  the  Kingdom  locally  and  at  large,  by 
building  a  parish  house  or  supporting  a  missionary, 
by  educating  a  poor  boy  or  endowing  a  college  or 
leaving  legacies  to  church  boards. 

While  the  minister  should  not  ordinarily  permit 
soliciting  and  bookkeeping  to  occupy  his  time  or 
energy,  nor  deprive  his  members  of  these  opportu- 
nities to  gain  experience  in  church  work,  yet  con- 
ditions arise  where  he  should  do  so.  Sometimes 
there  are  prosperous  persons  from  whom  he  alone 
can  secure  liberal  pledges.  Sometimes  he  must 
canvass  the  canvassers  or  officers  to  awaken  them 
to  adequate  liberality  and  insure  their  efficiency. 
Sometimes  he  has  friends  outside  the  church  who 
will  give  him  money  for  special  needs  and  thus  be- 
come vitally  interested  in  attending  the  church. 
Such  providential  conditions  usually  constitute 
God's  call  to  undertake  such  services.  Sometimes, 
for  a  building  campaign  or  for  missions,  there  are 
no  enthusiastic  or  qualified  canvassers  and  he  must 
secure  initial  pledges  before  a  general  canvass  is 
attempted.  Sometimes,  especially  for  benevolences, 
no  adequate  bookkeeper  is  available  and  he  must 
temporarily  undertake  the  work  until  he  can  find 
an  assistant  and  prepare  him  to  assume  the  position 
permanently. 


The  Pastor  and  Church  Finance        217 

As  to  missions,  his  duty  is  particularly  clear 
where  knowledge  and  leadership  in  this  direction 
are  lacking.  With  tact  and  skill,  but  with  prayerful 
persistence,  he  should  awaken  officers  and  people 
to  realize  that  they  are  not  really  Christian,  are 
only  half  faithful,  until  they  face  and  perform 
their  duty  to  God  through  the  Boards  of  their 
church.  Especially  should  he  emphasize  the  debt 
that  rests  upon  churches  and  individuals  because  of 
what  missions  have  done  for  them  in  the  past  cen- 
turies and  in  the  early  days  of  the  community,  and 
what  the  educational  and  other  Boards,  colleges, 
seminaries,  etc.,  are  doing  for  them  above  what 
they  contribute.  Many  pastors  double  and  treble 
the  benevolence  gifts  of  their  churches  by  a  quiet 
personal  canvass  for  new  or  increased  subscriptions, 
with  spiritual  results  as  valuable  as  from  a  revival. 
One  pastor  announced,  "  The  fourteen  officers  have 
pledged  more  than  three  times  what  the  whole  con- 
gregation gave  last  year."  l^o  wonder  great  results 
followed. 

Financial  "Dont's"  for  Ministers 

1.  Don't  do  what  you  can  enlist  and  train  others 
to  do  fully  or  nearly  as  well,  even  though  it  is 
easier  to  do  it  yourself. 

2.  Don't  assume  a  patronizing  or  dictatorial  at- 
titude towards  your  officers,  but  persuade  and  win 
them  by  patience  and  wisdom. 

3.  Don't  openly  accuse  your  officers  and  mem- 
bers of  stubbornness  or  selfishness.     They  are  fre- 


2i8  Modern  Church  Finance 

quently  ignorant  as  to  finances,  usually  self-satis- 
fied, possibly  indifferent  and  sometimes  prejudiced 
against  new  methods  and  what  they  consider  as 
pastoral  interference.  But  they  usually  have  at 
heart  a  sincere  desire  for  the  good  of  their  church. 
They  may  be  victims  of  traditions,  or  of  unfortu- 
nate experiences  with  other  pastors.  Personal 
work  with  individual  leaders,  as  suggested  else- 
where, is  the  best  remedy. 

4.  Don't  nag  or  scold  from  the  pulpit.  Be 
always  optimistic  and  patient.  To  assert  that 
folks  are  stingy  and  that  you  will  force  them  to 
change  their  minds  will  make  them  usually  more 
obstinate  and  stingy.  Suggest  rather  that  they 
may  not  have  realized  the  conditions,  or  their  duty 
to  God  as  Lord  and  owner,  and  that  they  are 
liberal  at  heart  and  are  merely  waiting  to  know 
their  duty. 

5.  Don't  try  to  excuse  yourself  from  diligent 
interest  in  the  finances  by  pleading  that  *'it  will 
arouse  opposition  "  or  that  "  it  is  distasteful  to  me." 
No  Christian  can  thus  excuse  himself  for  neglect 
of  duty.  Your  members  will  soon  learn  to  give 
the  same  excuse  for  absence  from  church  or  for 
spiritual  idleness. 

6.  Don't  deliver  too  many  sermons  on  the  sub- 
ject or  talk  too  constantly  about  it  lest  you  be 
regarded  as  a  crank.  In  approaching  tabooed 
themes,  be  "  as  wise  as  serpents."  "  The  prac- 
tical duties  of  a  Christian  "  may  be  a  better  theme 
for  a  stewardship  sermon  than  "  Miserliness." 


The  Pastor  and  Church  Finance        219 

Y.  Don't  give  up  if  you  fail  the  first  time.  Try 
again  by  another  method.  Retain  your  enthusi- 
asm and  ideals  but  curb  your  impatience.  Time 
and  diplomacy  are  as  important  as  zeal. 

8.  Don't  forget  that  your  business  is  to  save 
souls;  and  that  increased  gifts  help  to  save  the 
souls  of  the  givers,  while  $1,000  will  keep  a  soul- 
saving  missionary  busy  for  a  year.  Remember 
Bishop  McCabe's  motto:  "Raise  money  and  save 
souls." 

9.  Don't  encourage  donations,  funeral  fees,  etc. 
For  every  dollar  thus  secured,  several  are  usually 
lost  in  subscriptions. 

10.  Don't  raise  funds  aside  from  the  regular 
budget,  except  for  urgent  and  worthy  causes. 

11.  Don't  ask  for  rebates.  Manage  your  own 
finances  in  an  exemplary  way.  Extravagance  in 
dress  or  any  other  respect  will  discredit  you  more 
than  poverty  or  parsimony.  Smoking  may  not  be 
sinful,  but  it  sets  an  example  which  will  go  far  to 
neutralize  your  appeals  for  a  larger  salary  or  for 
faithful  stewardship. 

12.  Don't  give  too  much.  Your  sacrificial  gifts 
are  indispensable  as  a  moral  example  and  for  your 
own  development,  but  they  do  not  excuse  failure 
to  secure  needed  books  and  tools  or  to  attend  mis- 
sionary and  other  helpful  meetings.  Your  income 
is  primarily  a  trust  to  enable  you  to  increase  the 
talents  which  God  has  given  you  for  use  in  His 
service.  Personality  and  eflBciency  in  advancing 
the  Kingdom  in  your  congregation  and  in  all  ways 


220  Modem  Church  Finance 

are  your  first  obligations  and  it  is  better  for  you 
to  develop  other  philanthropists  than  to  try  to  be 
one. 

13.  Don't  tell  your  people  if  you  have  private 
means,  and  do  not  need  much  salary.  Insist  that 
they  shall  pay  all  they  are  able.  They  must  learn 
to  give  enough  to  support  a  pastor  with  no  other 
resources  and  with  a  large  family  for  their  own 
spiritual  good.  Many  a  pastorate  has  been  ruined 
because  a  predecessor  permitted  a  starvation  salary 
standard.  Give  liberally  to  benevolences,  but  make 
your  gifts  a  leverage  to  increase  theirs.  Give  the 
church  credit  for  your  gifts  only  when  it  doubles 
or  quadruples  them. 

14.  Don't  hesitate  to  ask  a  needed  increase  in 
salary.  It  will  really  be  a  good  investment  for 
your  people,  enabling  you  to  accomplish  larger 
things.  If  you  are  really  called  to  the  ministry, 
your  talents  are  not  yours  to  neglect  or  to  allow 
your  people  to  neglect.  They  are  a  divine  trust  to 
be  guarded  and  developed,  especially  in  your  early 
ministry.  Your  request  for  a  larger  income  may 
be  misunderstood  and  may  hurt  your  pride,  but 
dignity  and  sensitiveness  must  not  supersede  faith- 
fulness. A  request  for  an  increase,  with  the  neces- 
sary explanation,  may  mean  a  larger  sacrifice  than 
silence,  but  silence  would  be  cowardice.  To  spend 
time  over  a  wash-tub  may  teach  humility  to  a  few 
loyal  souls,  and  you  should  be  willing  to  do  it  on 
rare  occasions,  but  it  is  a  far  more  heroic  and  use- 
ful thing  to  spend  the  time  shepherding  your  young 


The  Pastor  and  Church  Finance        221 

people,  winning  men,  organizing  others  for  service, 
or  in  other  Christian  work. 

Confidentially  broach  the  matter  to  those  key 
women  or  men  who  will  forward  it  with  sympathy. 
Allow  them  to  know  of  your  needs  for  books  and 
equipment,  of  your  debts  and  dependent  relatives, 
of  your  family  problems  and  secrets. 

Better  still,  present  the  matter  straightforwardly 
before  accepting  a  call.  Kemind  the  committee 
that  you  will  be  worth  more  if  you  have  no 
financial  worry. 

Best  of  all,  employ  a  denominational  leader  or 
an  efficiency  or  finance  expert  who,  in  connection 
with  other  suggestions  as  to  increased  efficiency, 
can  emphasize  the  relation  between  pastoral  effi- 
ciency and  an  adequate  salary.  In  one  community, 
a  church  efficiency  institute  where  nine  churches 
participated  resulted  in  increasing  ^ve  salaries  and 
presenting  two  autos  within  six  months. 

15.  Consult  the  wise  men  and  women  of  your 
church,  or  the  pastors  of  neighboring  churches, 
concerning  your  problems.  Do  not  be  conceited. 
Be  ready  to  benefit  by  counsel  in  matters  of  finance 
as  in  other  things. 

16.  Avoid  debt  as  a  plague. 


xm 

Lay  Leadership  in  Church  Finance 

THE  finance  business  of  the  church  gives  to 
laymen  a  peculiar  opportunity  to  assume 
responsibilities  and  duties  suited  to  their 
experience,  which  will  develop  their  spiritual  in- 
terest and  their  fitness  for  all  other  forms  of  church 
work.  While  pastors  must  give  the  utmost  of 
cooperation  and  aid,  yet  laymen  are  primarily 
responsible  and  on  them  should  rest  most  of  the 
blame  for  church  finance  failure. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  President 
Lincoln  said  to  a  prominent  New  York  financier : 
"  You,  as  much  as  any  one  man,  have  insured  the 
success  of  the  Union  cause.  You  have  secured  the 
funds  to  provide  food  and  equipment  for  our  army 
and  navy.  Had  it  not  been  for  your  ability  and 
enterprise  in  financing  the  government,  our  cause 
would  already  be  defeated."  In  the  church,  like- 
wise, the  finance  officer  is  of  tremendous  impor- 
tance, both  materially  and  spiritually. 

Yet  some  finance  officials  utterly  fail  to  com- 
prehend  the   significance  or  possibilities  of  their 
task.     Some,  like  the  dog  in  the  manger,  hold  fast 
to  their  offices  as  places  of  honor,  refusing  to  study 
222 


Lay  Leadership  in  Church  Finance      223 

their  responsibilities  and  perform  their  work  or  to 
permit  the  other  fellow  to  do  so. 

A  greater  number  maintain  such  attitudes  as 
small  boys  assume  towards  hoeing  corn  fields. 
Some  never  begin  the  work  because  of  a  buoyant 
hope  that  some  one  else  will  happen  along  and  do 
it.  Others  assert,  "I  can't.  Let  George  do  it." 
Others  sit  on  the  fence  dreaming  and  trusting  the 
Lord  to  provide  in  some  miraculous  way.  Others  go 
to  sleep  in  the  middle  of  the  job.  Others  have  good 
intentions  as  to  action  in  the  indefinite  future  which 
never  arrives  and  confine  themselves  meantime  to 
their  social  and  political  and  business  interests. 

Other  finance  officials, — fortunately  their  tribe  is 
rapidly  increasing, — have  recognized  their  glorious 
privileges  for  service  and  strive  faithfully  to  per- 
form their  duties  to  their  church,  their  pastor  and 
the  Kingdom.  Often  they  fail  to  use  the  best  hoe 
or  to  get  results  commensurate  with  the  energy  ex- 
pended, yet  they  are  sincerely  seeking  to  do  their 
best,  to  find  better  methods  and  to  increase  the  re- 
sults, and  deserve  high  honor. 

Kesponsibility  for  finance  leadership  has,  in  too 
many  churches,  not  been  definitely  or  wisely  fixed. 
Perhaps  the  officers  are  chosen  because  of  wealth 
or  prominence,  being  non-attendants,  or  even  non- 
members.  Perhaps  two  or  three  agencies  divide 
the  responsibility  with  resultant  conflict,  competi- 
tion and  inaction.  Whether  the  agency  be  called 
a  "  Finance  Committee  "  or  a  Board  of  Deacons  or 
Trustees,  it  must  be  given  absolute  authority  within 


224  Modern  Church  Finance 

certain  clearly  defined  limits,  and  held  strictly- 
accountable  for  results.  No  Board  can  be  blamed 
for  inaction  if  it  lacks  authority. 

Select  only  faithful,  consecrated  wide-awake  offi- 
cers. Efficiency  would  more  than  compensate  the 
loss  from  church  membership  of  one  or  two  deposed 
office-seeking  idlers.  Give  women  a  large  place 
if  they  alone  are  efficient.  If  certain  prominent 
citizens  who  are  inefficient  must  be  honored,  ap- 
point them  to  a  Board  which  merely  holds  the 
church  property. 

When  officers  are  chosen,  the  church  must  loyally 
support  them  in  the  diligent  performance  of  their 
duties.  On  the  other  hand  officers  should  either 
decline  to  serve  or  should  be  as  faithful  to  the 
church  business  as  to  their  own.  They  should 
meet  at  least  monthly.  During  the  annual  cam- 
paign, they  should  meet  every  week  as  a  Board  of 
Bank  Directors  does.  The  Lord's  business  needs 
their  largest  possible  wisdom  and  attention. 

In  any  case,  the  control  of  the  finances  should  be 
unified  either  as  in  Chapter  XIX  or  by  appointing 
representatives  of  all  societies  to  a  Finance  Council 
Avithout  whose  approval  no  society  or  committee 
shall  be  permitted  to  raise  money,  and  which  will 
take  entire  responsibility  for  making  out  the  budget 
and  securing  subscriptions  to  cover  it,  though  al- 
lowing the  Board  to  take  all  official  action  and  to 
hold  and  disburse  funds.  In  some  large  up-to-date 
churches,  one  legislative  agency,  a  sort  of  church 
Congress,  manages  all  church  business  and  appoints 


Lay  Leadership  in  Church  Finance     225 

one  committee  of  its  members  to  assume  all  finan 
cial  responsibilities.  One  church  with  2,000  mem- 
bers has  a  session  or  governing  board  of  thirty,  six 
of  whom  constitute  the  finance  department  which 
meets  weekly.  In  thie  by-laws  of  this  Board,  the 
duties  are  thus  defined : 

"  To  this  department  shall  be  committed  the  re- 
sponsibility of  raising  both  the  incidental  and 
benevolent  budgets  of  the  church  and  the  authority 
to  make  all  expenditures  within  the  budgets,  the 
Board  reserving  its  constitutional  veto  power.  All 
purchases  and  bills  must  be  passed  upon  by  this  de- 
partment and  reported  to  the  Board.  It  shall  be 
the  duty  of  this  department  to  see  that  every 
member  of  the  church  is  canvassed  and  that  sub- 
scriptions are  secured  from  each  both  for  the  expenses 
and  the  boards  of  the  church.  The  Every  Member 
Canvass  shall  be  worked  thoroughly  and  success- 
fully. All  loose  collections  shall  be  taken  by  this 
department.  The  entire  financial  management  and 
work  incidental  thereto  shall  be  under  the  over- 
sight of  this  department.  Its  authority  to  make 
contracts  or  purchases  shall  not  exceed  the  fixed 
budget,  or  authority  delegated  to  it  by  the  Board 
under  the  rules  of  the  church.  A  written  and 
itemized  report  of  expenditures  and  receipts  shall 
be  made  to  this  Board  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  each 
month  and  kept  on  file." 

The  property  is  held  by  three  trustees  who  are 
elected  by  the  congregation  from  the  members  of 
this  finance  committee. 


226  Modern  Church  Finance 

Points  for  Finance  Officials 

Church  finance  officers  should  be  flexible  and 
open-minded  men  who  recognize  that  church  busi- 
ness is  strictly  business  and  should  be  attended  to  in 
a  prompt  and  efficient  manner,  also  that  it  is  differ- 
ent from  any  other  business ;  and  who  will  dili- 
gently study  the  goals  to  be  attained  and  the  prin- 
ciples leading  to  success. 

Choose  the  chairman  and  secretary  with  special 
care  since  many  decisions  as  to  policy  and  efficient 
action  will  depend  largely  on  their  enterprise  and 
judgment.  The  treasurer  and  bookkeeper  must 
also  be  carefully  chosen.     (See  Chapters  X  and  XI.) 

Entrust  a  special  committee  on  benevolences  with 
full  responsibility  for  educating  the  entire  member- 
ship of  all  departments  in  the  larger  ideals  and 
work  of  the  Kingdom.  If  the  two  budgets  are 
raised  by  one  canvass,  this  committee  should  share 
in  the  management  of  the  campaign. 

Appoint  a  special  committee  with  a  special  chair- 
man and  secretary  to  manage  the  annual  cam- 
paign. Have  all  Boards  and  departments  repre- 
sented on  it. 

If  any  officers  are  not  liberal,  make  immediate 
efforts  by  personal  interviews  to  secure  their  ade- 
quate pledges,  thus  insuring  their  larger  efficiency 
and  enthusiasm  both  for  this  work  and  for  the 
church  as  a  whole. 

The  Finance  Board  should  be  far-sighted.  The 
general  plans  for  each  year  should  be  made  months 
in  advance.    The  welfare  of  the  church  and  its 


Lay  Leadership  in  Church  Finance      227 

financial  interests  for  the  next  generation  should  be 
anticipated  and  safeguarded  especially  by  enlisting 
and  training  the  children  for  liberal  pledges. 

Cooperate  faithfully  with  all  other  agencies  and 
interests,  recognizing  that  finances  are  not  the 
final  or  chief  end  of  the  church  but  merely  the  es- 
sential means  to  larger  ends. 

Give  the  women  representation  on  all  finance 
boards  and  committees,  both  because  of  their  effi- 
ciency in  church  work,  because  of  their  large 
enthusiasm,  and  because  of  their  intimate  knowl- 
edge of  the  attitudes  and  needs  of  husbands  and 
children  as  well  as  of  their  sisters  who  constitute 
more  than  one-half  of  the  membership. 

Develop  future  leadership  by  electing  a  few 
young  men  to  the  Board,  and  by  having  assistants 
or  understudies  to  the  treasurers.  Salesmen,  execu- 
tives and  bookkeepers  should  be  especially  utilized. 

Secure  a  measure  of  rotation  in  office.  Elect  the 
members  in  three  classes  so  that  the  terms  of  one- 
third  will  expire  each  year.  A  rule  that  only  one- 
half  of  the  outgoing  class  can  be  immediately  re- 
elected will  continually  insure  new  blood  on  the 
Board.  The  best  workers  can  thus  be  retained  in- 
definitely and  a  larger  number  of  others  will  gain 
experience  on  the  Board  insuring  their  larger  in- 
terest and  liberality.  After  one  year,  such  officers 
should  be  eligible  to  reelection  and  will  be  more 
effective  because  "  having  been  on  the  outside  look- 
ing in  "  they  will  better  understand  the  people's 
point  of  view. 


228  Modern  Church  Finance 

Have  faith  in  the  future  of  the  church  and  its 
success  as  well  as  in  the  future  of  real  estate  or  the 
success  of  the  town.  Enlarge  the  budget  rapidly. 
Success  does  not  come  to  those  who  stand  pat,  but 
to  those  who  grow.  Having  chosen  you  to  lead, 
you  are  responsible  for  educating  the  people  to  a 
larger  budget  if  they  do  not  see  the  needs. 

Officers  who  are  too  busy  to  attend  meetings 
should  be  reminded  that  it  takes  the  heart  out  of 
the  others  and  that  the  really  busy  men  are  the 
ones  who  do  the  world's  work.  But  do  business  in 
spite  of  absentees  and  they  will  come  next  time. 

Do  not  be  provincial  and  anti-missionary,  like 
those  croakers  who  opposed  the  Louisiana  purchase 
and  the  accession  of  Alaska  because  "  so  far  away." 

Secure  the  cooperation  of  the  minister  because  his 
intimate  knowledge  of  plans,  givers  and  danger 
points  will  help  you,  and  because  your  confidence 
will  help  him. 

If  the  pastor  neglects  any  duties,  talk  them  over 
frankly  with  him,  but  never  criticize  him  publicly 
as  it  ruins  confidence  and  loses  money. 

Eemember  you  are  not  Popes  for  your  church. 
You  are  elected  servants  of  a  democracy  to  carry 
out,  not  defy,  the  popular  desires.  Take  the  public 
into  your  confidence  at  every  point.  They  will 
give  better  if  they  help  to  decide  as  to  policies. 

Bring  all  officers  of  all  Boards  and  departments 
together  for  friendly  exchange  of  information  about 
plans  and  progress.  Better  still,  use  a  prayer-meet- 
ing hour  each  month  or  quarter  for  this  purpose. 


Lay  Leadership  in  Church  Finance      229 

Be  as  ready  to  adopt  new  methods  in  the  church 
as  in  your  own  life  and  business.  Eemember  the 
world  is  making  progress  and  that  church  methods 
are  especially  antiquated  because  they  have  been 
neglected.  Be  open  to  new  ideas  from  any  sources, 
— pastor,  neighboring  churches  or  church  papers, — 
even  if  they  contradict  conditions,  and  accept  the 
popular  will  even  if  you  think  it  is  wrong. 

Do  not  miss  opportunities  by  procrastination  or 
debate.  Some  church  officers  appear  to  follow  the 
Mexican  motto :  "  Never  do  to-day  what  you  can 
put  off  till  next  month." 

Eemember  no  decision  is  valid  unless  reached 
and  made  a  matter  of  record  in  a  legal  meeting. 

Be  sure  that  all  deeds,  insurance  policies,  con- 
tracts, etc.,  are  in  legal  form  and  in  safe  keeping. 

Kegard  your  office  as  spiritual  rather  than  merely 
financial. 

Do  not  hesitate  to  spend  money  to  get  money. 


xiy 

Rural  Church  Finance 

NOWHERE  is  modern  church  finance  ef- 
ficiency more  immediately  urgent  and 
difficult  than  in  the  country.  There  are 
notable  exceptions,  but  I  am  convinced  by  visits  to 
a  multitude  of  rural  churches  in  every  section  of  the 
nation  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  overstate  the 
seriousness  of  their  financial  poverty  as  recognized 
in  every  volume  on  country  church  work. 

Extreme  dependence  on  socials  and  suppers  for 
money-raising  purposes,  and  on  donations  and  col- 
lections for  ministers  as  though  they  were  paupers, 
have  brought  churches  into  contempt  and  caused 
multitudes  to  doubt  that  the  church  has  any  value. 
Salaries  received  by  pastors  are  frequently  so  inad- 
equate as  to  justify  the  remark :  "  No  wonder  the 
country  boys  and  girls  despise  religion  and  the 
church,  when  the  ministers  to  whom  they  are  sup- 
posed to  look  for  instruction  and  inspiration  are 
given,  all  things  considered,  a  support  inferior  to 
that  of  the  hired  man  and  pitiful  as  compared  with 
the  carpenter." 

Unless  the  country  church  receives  a  better  finan- 
cial support,  we  cannot  expect  it  to  hold  its  ground, 

230 


Rural  Church  Finance  231 

or  to  continue  to  supply  the  invaluable  lay  and  min- 
isterial leadership  which  it  formerly  gave  to  our 
city  churches.  An  efficient  country  life  is  essential 
to  the  moral  and  economic  welfare  of  the  nation, 
and  efficient  country  life  waits  on  the  leadership  of 
a  church  which  is  efficient  morally,  socially,  intel- 
lectually and  spiritually. 

Kural  churches  can  become  permanently  strong 
only  as  schools  and  roads  and  community  solidarity 
are  improved.  Isolation  must  be  reduced,  scientific 
farming  promoted,  intelligence  and  prosperity  in- 
creased, and  absentee  landlordism  terminated  if  the 
economic  and  social  and  intellectual  foundations  are 
to  be  completed  upon  which  alone  can  a  virile  spir- 
ituality and  a  vital  Christianity  be  established.  But 
these  things  can  only  be  attained  as  the  churches 
become  more  efficient. 

The  modern  harvesting  machine,  the  daily  mail 
and  newspaper,  and  the  omnipresent  telephone  are 
absolutely  transforming  rural  opportunities.  Scien- 
tific farming  and  road  making  are  making  great  ad- 
vances and  the  standards  as  to  schools  and  teachers' 
salaries  have  rapidly  risen.  But  the  transformation 
cannot  be  completed  or  made  permanent  until  it  in- 
cludes the  church. 

Money  will  not  solve  all  rural  church  problems, 
but  they  cannot  be  solved  without  it. 

The  rural  minister  must  have  a  support  which 
will  repay  the  expense  and  the  ten  years'  time  spent 
in  securing  his  education,  which  will  enable  him  to 
secure  adequate  books  and  equipment,  which  will 


232  Modern  Church  Finance 

provide  the  necessities  and  some  of  the  comforts  of 
life  without  those  financial  worries  which  unfit  him 
to  lead  in  the  study  and  the  solution  of  community 
problems,  individual  and  collective.  In  many 
churches  and  groups,  without  home  mission  aid, 
merely  by  education  and  modern  methods,  the  sal' 
ary  of  $500  or  $800  has  been  increased  within  a 
year  or  so  to  $1,000  or  $1,500. 

Provision  must  be  made  for  more  attractive 
buildings  with  modern  equipment  for  educational 
and  social  services,  with  separate  department  and 
class  rooms,  kitchens,  social  rooms,  stereopticon, 
library,  etc.  Entertainments  and  dinners  and  pub- 
licity must  be  provided  which  will  advertise  the 
church  most  fully  and  favorably  throughout  the 
countryside,  and  intelligent  leadership  for  the  church 
of  to-day  and  to-morrow  must  be  insured  by  send- 
ing promising  young  folks  to  conferences  and  insti- 
tutes. An  Illinois  church  in  the  open  country,  with 
only  sixty  members  and  with  only  six  houses  within 
a  half  mile,  which  had  made  no  growth  for  forty 
years,  spent  $15,000  on  a  modern  building  and 
$5,000  on  a  new  manse,  secured  an  aggressive  min- 
ister by  increasing  the  salary  fifty  per  cent.  Its  at- 
tendance and  membership  have  multiplied. 

The  evil  of  overchurching  is  so  serious  in  many 
places,  especially  in  the  East  and  in  the  Central 
West,  that  only  church  federation  or  union  will 
enable  any  church  to  have  an  adequate  income.  In 
scores  of  communities,  where  rural  churches  with 
large  vitality  and  far-sighted  spiritual  leadership 


Rural  Church  Finance  233 

have  at  large  sacrifice  increased  the  budget  and  the 
salary  to  an  adequate  basis,  church  union  has  soon 
resulted  by  the  decay  of  neighbor  churches  which 
maintained  incompetent  ministers  and  inadequate 
policies.  In  one  case  a  few  liberal  farmers  de- 
termined to  employ  a  minister  for  full  time  and  to 
increase  the  salary  from  ;^800  to  ;^1,400,  with  a 
manse  and  five  acres  of  ground,  and  to  develop  an 
adequate  spiritual  and  community  policy.  The 
two  rival  churches  were  disbanded  within  three 
years  as  the  eyes  of  the  community  opened  to  their 
utter  failure  to  do  in  the  past  what  churches  should 
do.  Denominationalism  has  no  place  in  the  coun- 
try and  intelligent  denominational  leaders  are 
everywhere  federating  churches,  or  exchanging 
them,  so  as  to  alleviate  conditions. 

Many  efficient  country  churches  or  groups,  hav- 
ing from  seventy-five  to  two  hundred  members,  are 
now  paying  salaries  of  from  ^^1,200  to  ^2,000  per 
year  with  free  house,  accomplishing  large  local 
successes,  and  paying  for  benevolences  an  amount 
equal  to  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  per  cent,  of  the 
salary,  without  raising  a  dollar  by  donations  or 
fairs,  where  all  suppers  and  socials  are  given  free 
or  at  cost.  They  indicate  the  wonderful  possibili- 
ties when  such  conditions  become  general.  They 
are  inspiring  leaders  for  all  community  interests. 
They  grip  old  and  young  to  the  rural  life.  Fre- 
quently they  employ  women  or  students  for  part  or 
all  of  each  year,  to  work  in  adjacent  neighborhoods 
where  religion  has  not  received  so  favorable  an  im- 


234  Modern  Church  Finance 

petus,  and  whole  counties  are  thus  being  reborn 
spiritually  and  morally.  Their  pastors  are  able 
to  own  autos  and  so  to  do  a  great  deal  more  work. 
For  such  illustrations,  see  some  of  the  many  vol- 
umes on  country  church  work. 

Many  farmers  still  believe  that  churches  should 
be  managed  as  they  were  a  hundred  years  ago,  and 
that  all  salaries  should  advance  except  the  minis- 
ter's. "They  have  learned  to  spend  dollars  on 
twine  to  bind  their  grain,  but  are  unwilling  to 
spend  a  few  cents  on  envelopes  and  other  modern 
church  supplies  which  would  add  dollars  to  its  in- 
come and  make  it  efficient  for  the  redemption  of 
their  children,  the  blessing  of  the  community  and 
the  salvation  of  humanity." 

Some  Cureent  Misconceptions  Cleared  Up 
Yet  farmers  are  not  naturally  materialistic. 
Where  they  appear  indifferent  to  religion  and  the 
church,  it  is  usually  because  of  the  utterly  inferior 
quality  of  the  church  and  the  religion  which  they 
have  known  all  their  life;  to  the  substitution  of 
creeds  for  life,  of  abnormal  excitement  for  intelli- 
gence and  morality,  of  heathen  superstition  for 
spirituality,  of  the  stones  of  sectarian  non-essentials 
for  that  bread  of  intelligent  sympathy  and  religious 
ideals  for  which  they  hunger.  During  their  long 
hours  and  hard  labor,  before  modern  prosperity  and 
machinery  lightened  their  burdens,  they  became 
convinced  that  the  church  was  seeking  to  save  its 
life  rather  than  to  lose  it  for  the  sake  of  the  King- 


Rural  Church  Finance  235 

dom.  They  saw  nothing  but  sectarian  selfishness 
with  no  eternal  meaning. 

Surrounded  by  the  songs  of  birds,  the  perfume 
of  flowers,  the  beauty  of  stars  and  sky,  and  by 
miracles  of  growing  seeds  and  trees,  doing  much 
of  his  work  in  the  solitude  which  ministers  to 
spiritual  vision,  freed  from  the  temptations  of  the 
city  to  social  and  financial  extravagances,  with  his 
abounding  health  and  his  appreciation  of  neigh- 
borliness,  the  farmer  is  especially  susceptible  to 
religion.  He  is  easily  led  to  recognize  an  unseen 
God  and  the  brotherhood  of  man.  It  is  the  fault 
of  the  church  and  the  ministry,  of  the  present  and 
the  past,  if  he  continues  indifferent. 

The  average  farmer  is  not  stingy.  He  is  pro- 
verbially hospitable  to  friend  or  stranger.  His 
heart  is  always  ready  to  respond  to  any  human 
need.  He  is  often  thrifty  and  close  in  a  deal,  and 
he  has  seldom  learned  to  give  liberally,  but  these 
faults  are  due  to  the  poverty  and  struggles  of  his 
youth  and  to  his  failure  to  realize  how  prosperous 
he  has  become,  rather  than  to  meanness.  He  has 
always  been  asked  to  support  the  church  with 
apologies  and  by  methods  which  deny  his  steward- 
ship rather  than  emphasize  it,  and  the  church  has 
rendered  service  of  so  little  spiritual  and  social 
value  that  he  regards  it  as  a  luxury  if  not  a  graft. 
Give  him  the  true  understanding  of  his  duty  and, 
except  in  rare  cases,  he  will  respond. 

Country  people  are  not  poor.  Some  of  them  are, 
and  all  of  them  were,  but  the  average  farmer  is 


236  Modern  Church  Finance 

now  better  fed  than  his  average  city  cousin.  His 
land,  which  was  worth  five  or  ten  dollars  a  genera- 
tion ago,  is  now  worth  $50  or  ;^  100  or  more.  Even 
the  tenant  finds  the  selling  prices  of  butter  and 
eggs  and  vegetables  and  meat  have  increased  from 
two  to  fourfold.  His  gain  has  been  the  loss  of  his 
salaried  minister  or  city  brother  who  must  pay 
these  multiplied  costs  plus  transportation,  who 
must  pay  high  rents  and  spend  more  money  for 
clothes  and  all  other  things.  The  average  income 
of  ;^800  in  the  city  is  worth  no  more  than  ;^300  in 
cash  is  worth  to  the  farmer  who  raises  much  of  his 
own  food  and  has  not  spent  ten  years  and  several 
thousand  dollars  on  an  education.  Farmers  are 
really  the  most  prosperous  class  in  America  to-day. 
They  need  to  realize  that  while  a  few  city  folk  are 
rich,  the  percentage  who  are  worth  ^^  1,000  per 
capita  is  smaller  in  the  city  than  in  the  country. 

The  farmer  will  respond  to  modern  methods  and 
system  when  they  are  presented  right.  Remind 
him  that  he  has  abandoned  scythes  and  spinning 
wheels,  grain  cradles  and  ox  carts,  flails  and  stage 
coaches ;  and  that  the  donation  and  supper  and 
yearly  pledge  systems  of  finance  belonged  with 
them.  Remind  him  that  he  should  employ  in  the 
Lord's  work  the  same  up-to-date  methods  and  in- 
terest which  he  gives  to  rotating  crops,  to  stock 
raising  and  fruit  growing, — which  means  the  intro- 
duction of  the  Scriptural  "  every-member  weekly  " 
system. 

The  Weekly  Duplex  Envelope  Every  Member 


Rural  Church  Finance  237 

Canvass  System  will  work  in  the  country.  Many 
churches  are  now  using  it  most  successfully.  The 
problem  is  simply  to  get  the  farmer  to  understand 
it,  to  present  it  as  tactfully  as  the  matter  of  a  new- 
piano  is  presented,  to  wait  with  persistence  since  he 
moves  slowly. 

One  stingy  deacon  of  seventy-five  was  converted 
to  larger  giving  by  this  tactful  method.  The  can- 
vasser was  a  neighbor  and  fellow  deacon  who  had 
sold  insurance  and  used  the  same  skill  here.  When 
he  went  to  see  the  old  Scotchman,  he  praised  the 
fine  three  hundred  dollar  horse  he  was  hitching  to 
a  buggy,  his  sons  and  daughters,  his  farm  build- 
ings and  methods,  his  broad  outlook  and  his  new 
three  hundred  dollar  piano.    He  wound  up  with : 

"  Mr.  M ,  you  have  the  best  standing  in   this 

community  in  many  ways,  why  do  you  spoil  it  by 
giving  only  thirty  cents  per  week  to  the  church  and 
the  Lord  while  you  give  three  dollars  and  board  to 
your  hired  girl,  and  pay  three  hundred  dollars  or 
twenty  times  your  whole  year's  contribution  for  a 
horse  or  piano  ?  You  ought  to  pay  at  least  one 
dollar  per  week  to  church  support  and  half  as  much 
to  benevolences,  to  set  a  standard  for  the  church 
compared  with  what  you  set  for  other  things." 
This  farmer  pledged  what  was  asked.  Though  he 
was  not  ready  to  learn  the  weekly  offering  trick  at 
his  age,  most  of  those  under  fifty  years  of  age  did  so 
at  once.  They  were  taught  to  get  change  and  fill 
their  envelopes  for  months  ahead  so  they  would 
always  be  prepared. 


238  Modern  Church  Finance 

Farmers  are  not  anti-missionary.  In  the  begin- 
ning, the  missionary  movement  was  most  largely 
supported  by  country  folk.  To  this  day,  wherever 
they  are  adequately  presented,  rural  churches  sup- 
port missions  more  liberally  than  city  churches. 
Many  a  country  church  supports  a  missionary  on 
the  foreign  field,  and  has  a  benevolence  budget  as 
large  as  its  own  budget,  or  nearly  so.  The  mission- 
ary ideal,  properly  presented,  appeals  greatly  to 
the  boys  and  girls  of  the  farm  as  well  as  to  their 
fathers  and  mothers. 

Among  the  major  elements  of  finance  success  in 
a  country  church  may  be  suggested  : 

(1)  The  minister  must  take  large  responsibility. 

(2)  Competent  women  must  be  allowed  or  in- 
duced to  participate  in  the  raising  of  funds  and  the 
management  of  the  finances,  as  well  as  in  all  other 
business  of  the  church,  not  simply  in  their  societies. 

(3)  The  church  must  be  made  attractive  to  the 
children  of  the  community  so  that  all  parents  who 
are  not  attendants  can  be  induced  to  support  it. 

(4)  Sermons  and  services  must  be  made  attract- 
ive and  real  service  rendered  to  the  community 
and  to  its  individuals.  People  who  attend  and 
"  get  their  money's  worth "  will  support  more 
liberally. 

(5)  Diligent  education  must  be  given  as  to 
finance,  preferably  by  denominational  field  men, 
by  specialists,  or  by  ministers  or  laymen  of  large 
prestige  from  adjacent  churches  who  will  not  be 
accused  of  seeking  their  own  profit.     Emphasize 


Rural  Church  Finance  239 

God's  ownership  and  human  stewardship,  the  eco- 
nomical and  social  value  of  the  church,  the  need  of  1 
larger  income  for  the  pastor  and  larger  appropria- 
tions for  various  purposes,  as  well  as  broader  vi- 
sions of  God's  missionary  purpose  for  the  salvation 
of  all  men  and  nations  and  for  all  of  man. 

(6)  Week  day  rallies  or  Chautauquas  or  picnics 
should  be  conducted  where  social  fellowship  and  a 
good  free  dinner  for  all  are  accompanied  by  ad- 
dresses by  ministers  and  laymen  of  reputation,  from 
other  churches,  on  missionary  and  social  and  finan- 
cial themes.  Many  German  churches  of  the  West 
hold  such  "  Missionfests "  each  autumn  by  means 
of  which  the  way  is  prepared  for  benevolent  gifts 
amounting  to  fifty  or  even  one  hundred  per  cent, 
of  the  minister's  salary.  This  is  a  most  attractive 
community  feature  as  well  as  an  incalculable  stim- 
ulus to  higher  spiritual  ideals  and  outlook. 

(7)  Donations  must  be  absolutely  eliminated  as 
fast  as  possible.  For  every  annual  dollar  he  do- 
nates, the  average  farmer  will  cut  almost  a  dollar 
a  month  from  his  subscription.  It  must  be  in- 
sistently reiterated  that  the  minister  is  not  an  ob- 
ject of  charity  but  a  real  and  valuable  community 
servant  giving  value  received. 

(8)  Use  terms  which  the  farmer  comprehends 
quickly.  Ask  for  the  price  of  a  good  steer  or  three 
hogs  each  year ;  for  a  dozen  eggs  and  two  pounds 
of  butter  for  the  church  each  week ;  for  half  as 
much  for  the  Lord  as  for  the  hired  hand  ;  for  the 
price  of  three  meals  or  a  day's  wages  per  week. 


240  Modern  Church  Finance 

(9)  Make  the  annual  canvass  after  a  period  of 
special  social  and  spiritual  activity,  at  a  season 
when  people  are  most  prosperous  yet  without  too 
much  pressure  for  time. 

(10)  Show  clearly  that  the  prosperity  which  has 
come  to  the  farmer  in  recent  years  comes,  after  all 
is  said,  from  God  who  is  the  great  Creator  and  first 
landlord  of  the  soil,  who  gives  the  sunshine  and  the 
rain,  who  provides  markets  with  their  buying 
power,  and  who  has  a  definite  right  to  definite 
dividends  and  rent  and  interest.  Living  close  to 
the  land  and  to  the  natural  resources,  the  farmer 
can  most  easily  be  led  to  recognize  God's  owner- 
ship and  His  stewardship.  He  must  also  be  made 
to  realize  that  the  church  is  not  a  luxury  but  a 
necessity. 

(11)  Introduce  the  modern  financial  system  as 
outlined  in  Chapter  Y.  If  services  are  held  only 
fortnightly,  cartons  with  only  twenty-six  envelopes 
for  the  year  can  be  used. 

(12)  Be  patient.  It  requires  time  to  educate 
country  people  as  to  new  ideas,  but  persistent  and 
intelligent  eflPort  will  secure  most  happy  results. 

In  some  denominations,  specially  trained  "  Finan- 
gelists  "  are  now  being  employed  to  go  from  church 
to  church  in  village  and  country.  They  conduct 
educational  campaigns  as  to  stewardship,  sacrifice, 
missions  and  church  finance,  after  which  the  duplex 
system  is  introduced.  A  thorough  canvass  is  made 
by  the  finangelist,  or  with  his  leadership.  The  re- 
sults are  made  in  miracles  where  the  right  man  can 


Rural  Church  Finance  241 

be  found.  Salaries  are  increased  from  twenty -five 
to  one  hundred  per  cent.,  benevolence  advanced 
from  fifty  to  two  thousand  per  cent,  and  a  new- 
spiritual  and  financial  era  is  begun.  No  better  in- 
vestment can  be  made  of  denominational  or  mis- 
sionary funds,  and  no  philanthropist  can  invest 
money  in  a  more  fruitful  field. 


XV 

Women's  and  Young  People's  Societies 
and  Church  Finance 

OTHER  things  being  equal,  church  finance 
efficiency  is  greatly  retarded  by  a  multi- 
plicity of  money-raising  agencies,  and  ac- 
celerated by  a  wisely  developed  unified  financial 
plan  as  outlined  in  Chapter  XIX.  Besides,  the 
very  success  of  missionary  societies  within  a  church 
tends  to  obscure  the  primary  fact  that  every  church 
is  itself  a  missionary  society. 

In  Chapter  VI  of  his  recent  volume  on  church 
finance  Dr.  Agar  suggests,  "In  a  certain  church, 
the  Women's  Missionary  Society  gathered  from 
the  men  and  women  of  the  parish  over  ^^1,400  a 
year,  all  of  which  goes  to  the  women's  missionary 
work,  while  the  contribution  of  the  church  for  gen- 
eral missions  is  less  than  ;^4:00.  Of  course,  the 
church  is  blameworthy,  but  some  responsibility 
must  rest  upon  the  women  who  have  lost  sight  of 
the  whole  in  their  zeal  to  serve  a  part.  A  woman 
is  first  of  all  a  Christian,  then  a  church  member, 
and  because  of  these  two  relations  she  is  or  should 
be  interested  in  woman's  work." 

Dr.  Agar  adds,  *'  In  visiting  a  church,  a  young 
people's  meeting  was  found  with  eighty -four  in  at- 
242 


Women^s  and  Young  People's  Societies  243 

tendance.  When  the  meeting  closed,  only  six  found 
their  places  in  the  church  service  while  seventy- 
eight  went  out  of  the  church  building.  Many  were 
not  contributing  one  cent  to  the  church  of  which 
they  were  members.  Their  contributions  all  went 
to  do  work  under  the  auspices  of  their  society." 

Since  we  are  told  that  "  where  your  treasure  is 
there  will  your  heart  be  also,"  we  should  expect 
that  societies  of  women  and  young  people  which 
raise  their  own  funds  will  gradually  become  de- 
tached in  spirit,  and  will,  in  a  measure,  gradually 
wean  the  hearts  of  their  supporters  from  the  church. 

On  the  other  hand  the  writer  knows  of  many 
churches  where  financial  poverty  has  been  turned 
to  surplus  when  the  competent  women  of  the 
church,  as  members  of  the  finance  and  canvassing 
committees,  gave  their  energies  in  that  direction. 

Such  princi;ples  as  these  are  certainly  reasonable. 

1.  Churches  should  permit,  indeed  they  should 
diligently  provide,  their  women  and  young  people 
with  opportunity  for  the  fullest  development  and 
expression  of  their  powers  for  leadership  and  ad- 
ministration. Their  growing  talents  and  their 
leisure  from  money-making, — because  of  which 
women  now  manage  great  women's  clubs  and  so- 
cieties, assume  primary  responsibility  for  the  busi- 
ness management  of  their  homes,  and  share  in  the 
direction  of  schools,  hospitals  and  other  philan- 
thropies,— should  be  conserved  for  the  service  of 
Christ  and  His  Church. 

2.  Women  should  rapidly  be  given  official  place 


244  Modern  Church  Finance 

and  responsibility  in  the  church  itself,  including 
representation  on  all  Boards  and  Committees,  espe- 
cially those  which  plan  for  and  raise  and  adminis- 
ter all  church  funds,  both  support  and  benevolence. 
In  many  churches  these  interests  cannot  attain 
their  proper  efficiency  till  they  have  the  benefit  of 
the  abilities  and  leisure  of  the  women  which  have 
made  the  women's  societies  so  successful.  Cer- 
tainly if  the  energies  which  have  been  spent  on 
"  making  "  money  by  bazaars  and  fairs  or  collect- 
ing pledges  of  two  cents  a  week  were  to  be  de- 
voted to  helping  enlist  every  member  of  the  church 
for  adequately  liberal  pledges,  the  financial  prob- 
lems of  the  average  church  and  all  its  societies 
would  be  fully  solved. 

3.  Because  of  their  different  environments, 
leisure  periods,  and  needs,  the  women  and  young 
people  should  be  organized  into  separate  depart- 
ments, but  these  departments  should  promote  Bible 
study,  evangelism,  church  housekeeping,  devotional 
life,  sociability,  visitation  and  all  other  spiritual  in- 
terests as  well  as  missions  and  stewardship  and 
finance.  They  can  do  these  things  better  when 
they  secure  all  their  support  and  benevolence  funds 
through  the  regular  church  pledges,  and  uninter- 
ested folks  are  not  kept  out  by  society  dues. 

4.  Women  and  young  people,  present  members 
as  well  as  new  members,  should  be  tactfully  led  to 
see  that  their  first  duty  is  to  the  church  rather  than 
to  any  department,  and  that  all  societies  should 
seek   first   the  good  of  the  church  and  conform 


Women's  and  Young  People's  Societies  245 

loyally  to  the  policies  which  will  bring  the  largest 
good  to  the  greatest  number. 

5.  The  church  should  hasten  the  day  when  every 
woman,  both  as  a  matter  of  justice  and  for  the  sake 
of  developing  her  personality,  should  have  her  own 
independent  allowance  or  share  in  the  family  in- 
come, being  treated  as  a  partner  by  her  husband, 
or  at  least  having  an  allowance  equal  to  that  of  the 
hired  maid  who  is  not  compelled  to  beg  for  every 
dollar.  Certainly  this  is  implied  when  Paul  in- 
cludes her  in  the  "  each  one  of  you  "  (1  Cor.  xvi.  2) 
who  should  on  "  the  first  day  of  the  week  "  give  as 
prospered.  She  should  make  duplex  pledges  and 
bring  duplex  weekly  offerings  as  worship  for  the 
church  for  herself,  just  as  she  should  sing  and  pray 
and  study  the  Bible  for  herself. 

6.  When  women  and  young  people  take  a  part 
in  raising  the  church  budgets  and  begin  to  bring 
their  tithes  into  the  storehouse  as  the  Bible  com- 
mands, their  societies  should  receive  liberal  shares 
of  the  church  budgets  that  they  may  meet  their  ut- 
most needs  and  maintain  their  standing  as  compared 
with  similar  societies  of  their  communities  and  of 
their  religious  bodies. 

1.  If  the  church  fails  to  make  ample  financial 
provision  for  such  societies  as  suggested  in  Chapter 
XYIII,  faithful  women  and  young  people  will  then 
divide  their  benevolent  gifts  fairly,  perhaps  equally, 
between  the  benevolence  budgets  of  their  societies 
and  of  their  church.  This  was  implied  when  the 
women's  auxiliary  boards  were  organized.     In  at 


246  Modern  Church  Finance 

least  one  denominational  legislative  body,  the  com- 
mittee which  was  considering  the  advisability  of  a 
separate  women's  board  hesitated  lest,  "  If  you 
women  organize  a  board,  you  will  not  give  more 
money  but  will  simply  divert  funds  which  you  now 
give  to  existing  boards,"  but  the  committee  rec- 
ommended the  establishment  of  the  women's  board 
on  a  promise  to  the  effect  that  "  we  women  will 
maintain  our  present  contributions  through  the 
regular  boards.  Our  women's  board  will  secure  its 
funds  by  interesting,  by  appeals  to  their  sex 
loyalty,  women  who  are  not  now  contributing  to 
missions,  and  by  making  our  own  gifts  represent 
larger  sacrifices." 

Besides,  the  women's  societies  do  not  raise  funds 
for  many  of  the  boards.  Women  cannot  give  to 
such  extremely  important  causes  as  Sunday-school 
and  educational  work  except  through  the  church 
benevolences. 

8.  While  recognizing  the  great  good  which 
women's  boards  have  done  and  are  doing  in  these 
decades,  it  is  time  to  consider  whether  it  would  not 
be  fuller  justice  to  women  and  an  advantage  to  the 
Kingdom  to  take  the  next  logical  step  and  give 
women  official  representation  in  the  management 
of  denominational  boards,  and  of  district  and  state 
committees  on  benevolences.  While  there  should 
be  separate  policies  adopted  as  to  interesting  men 
and  women  in  missions,  yet  this  logic  does  not  call 
for  separate  boards,  any  more  than  it  calls  for 
separate  churches  for  women,  and  the  tendency  to 


Women's  and  Young  People's  Societies  247 

consider  the  church  and  its  boards  as  rivals  of  the 
women  and  their  boards  is  a  most  deplorable  evil. 

9.  Emphasis  must  be  laid  at  once  on  the  fact 
that  the  denominational  boards  are  not  "men's 
boards,"  nor  are  our  congregational  benevolences 
"  men's  benevolences  "  any  more  than  family  homes 
are  men's  homes  even  though  men  be  largely  re- 
sponsible for  their  support  and  management. 

10.  In  one  church,  the  young  people  were 
promised  that  one-half  of  their  total  pledges  should 
be  returned  to  their  society  for  disbursement.  They 
had  been  raising  about  sixty  dollars  for  all  pur- 
poses. After  a  campaign  for  "  Tenth  Legion  "  mem- 
bers to  give  their  tithes  to  the  church,  half  to  each 
budget,  their  gifts  to  the  church  amounted  to 
$620  per  year  of  which  ;^310  was  returned  to  them 
to  be  divided  b}''  their  vote,  part  for  the  local  work 
and  benevolences  of  their  society  and  half  for  the 
missionary  boards  of  the  church. 

11.  In  raising  money  for  themselves,  these  and 
all  other  church  societies  will  secure  from  fifty  to 
two  hundred  per  cent,  more  funds  by  a  thorough 
every  member  canvass  of  their  members  for  pledges 
on  the  weekly,  or  at  least  the  monthly,  basis.  Such 
societies  often  use  duplex  envelopes  for  their  offer- 
ings. 

12.  Since  all  the  women  of  a  church  should  be 
interested  both  in  Home  and  Foreign  Missions,  and 
in  the  financial  welfare  of  the  church,  the  time  is 
doubtless  approaching  when  in  all  churches  the 
plan  will  be  adopted,  which  is  spreading  so  rapidly, 


248  Modern  Church  Finance 

of  consolidating  all  women's  organizations  into  one 
"  Women's  Department,"  of  which  every  woman  is 
a  voting  member,  which  has  no  dues  but  has  com- 
mittees to  promote  all  the  interests  suggested  under 
(3)  above,  and  develops  a  unified  policy. 


XVI 

The  Children,  the  Sunday-School  and 
Church  Finance 

BECAUSE  the  church  has  failed  to  obey  the 
command  to  "  train  up  a  child  in  the  way  he 
should  go,"  it  has  not  been  able  to  claim  the 
promise  that  "  when  he  is  old  he  will  not  depart 
from  it."  While  most  of  the  training  which  the 
church  should  give  its  children  has  been  woefully 
neglected,  no  phase  has  been  more  neglected,  or 
with  more  serious  results,  than  giving. 

If  the  churches  to-day  will  only  give  their  chil- 
dren proper  training  in  the  principles  and  practice 
of  Christian  stewardship  and  in  their  social  and 
missionary  obligations,  the  churches  of  the  next 
generation  will  have  abundance  of  money  and 
workers  with  which  both  to  evangelize  the  world 
and  to  provide  liberally  for  themselves. 

If  weekly  giving  to  benevolences  and  missions  as 
well  as  to  current  expenses  is  "  the  way  he  should 
go"  when  he  is  old,  that  is  the  way  the  child 
should  be  trained  now.  He  should  make  weekly 
pledges  to  the  support  of  the  Sunday-school.  By 
collections  without  pledges,  being  present  on  the 
average  only  two-thirds  of  the  time,  he  gives  only 
two-thirds  of  the  time  and  learns  the  habit  which 

249 


250  Modern  Church  Finance 

leads  him  by  and  by  to  say,  "  I  will  not  pledge  but 
will  give  when  I  come." 

But  it  is  not  enough  to  give  to  the  Sunday-school. 
If  he  should  give  to  the  church  to-morrow,  he  must 
pledge  to  the  church  itself  to-day.  If  he  pledges 
and  pays  to  the  church  expense  budget,  he  will  very 
easily  get  the  point  of  view  of  the  boy  who  "  did 
not  want  to  go  to  church  before,  but  now  I  help  pay 
the  preacher's  salary  and  I  want  to  go  to  church 
and  get  my  money's  worth."  Thus  the  habit  of 
church  attendance  is  more  easily  fixed,  the  child 
becomes  a  conscious  stockholder  in  the  whole  con- 
cern, and  is  proud  of  the  fact  that  the  church  needs 
him.  Having  made  some  investment  in  it,  he  is 
more  likely  to  join  the  church  when  he  becomes 
older. 

No  other  method  is  so  effective  in  training  a 
child  to  right  methods  as  the  duplex  envelope.  It 
compels  him  to  remember  that  there  are  two  causes, 
and  the  pockets  are  equally  large.  "  If  duplex  en- 
velopes were  of  no  value  except  for  training  the 
children,  I  would  myself,  if  necessary,  pay  the  cost 
for  our  whole  church  simply  to  have  them  use  this 
system,"  says  an  oflftcer  of  one  church  which  tested 
the  plan. 

If  the  church  supports  the  Sunday-school  and  the 
child  gives  only  to  missions,  his  views  are  apt  to 
become  so  distorted  that  he  will  say  when  he  grows 
up,  especially  if  he  is  in  a  non-missionary  church, 
*' Giving  to  missions  is  for  children.  I  will  put 
away  this  habit  as  I  have  put  away  other  childish 


The  Children  and  Church  Finance      251 

things,  and  will  give  entirely  to  church  support." 
The  Silver  Bay  Sunday-School  Workers'  Confer- 
ence adopted  the  principle  that  "every  scholar 
should  give  to  all  objects  in  which  he  should  be 
trained  to  be  interested  and  in  relative  proportion 
to  their  importance." 

If  he  pledges  only  to  Sunday-school  or  church 
support,  he  is  apt  to  get  the  heathenish  habit  of 
giving  only  where  he  can  see  the  money  spent,  or 
can  benefit  by  it.  He  certainly  will  fail  to  realize 
that  benevolences  are  equally  important. 

The  support  of  the  Sunday-school  is  the  duty  of 
every  church,  just  as  truly  as  the  support  of  the 
pastor.  If  the  church  leaders  realize  the  impor- 
tance of  the  Sunday-school  so  as  to  make  liberal 
appropriations  for  its  work,  the  best  plan  is  un- 
doubtedly to  include  the  financial  obligations  and 
needs  of  the  Sunday-school  in  the  church  budgets, 
both  for  the  sake  of  the  church  treasuries  and 
for  the  training  of  the  child.     (See  Chapter  XIX.) 

To  object  that  the  Sunday-school  likes  to  raise 
its  own  funds  and  be  self-supporting  is  folly.  The 
Sunday-school  does  not  live  for  its  own  sake  but 
for  the  church,  and  it  is  doing  harm  unless  its 
spirit  is  like  that  of  John  the  Baptist,  "  The  church 
must  increase  and  we  must  decrease." 

Eemember  that  no  Sunday-school  is  self-support- 
ing when  it  simply  buys  its  own  helps,  since  the 
church  provides  heat  and  light,  janitor  service  and 
insurance,  and  the  interest  on  the  investment  on 
the  Sunday-school  plant. 


252  Modern  Church  Finance 

If  possible,  have  the  children  attend  church,  at 
least  for  a  children's  sermon  and  to  give  their 
envelopes  in  the  church  offering.  Where  they  can- 
not or  do  not  attend  church,  they  can  put  their 
envelopes  in  the  Sunday-school  offering.  Where 
they  attend  both  services  and  wish  to  make  an 
offering  at  each,  they  can  deposit  one  end  of  the 
envelope  at  each. 

If  the  church  has  no  vision  as  to  the  needs  of  the 
Sunday-school,  or  does  not  use  the  duplex  system, 
the  school  should  adopt  the  duplex  envelope  and 
every  member  canvass  for  itself.  It  should  include 
in  its  budget  a  definite  amount  for  the  church 
budget  to  emphasize  its  obligations  to  the  church. 
For  example,  the  Toledo  school,  of  which  Mr. 
Marion  Lawrance  long  was  superintendent,  gives 
ten  per  cent,  of  its  income  to  church  support. 

The  child  likes  the  duplex.  To  put  in  the  money 
and  seal  the  envelope  is  play  for  him,  and  of  the  most 
valuable  kind  educationally.  The  "  Kobert  Kaikes  " 
or  child's  sizes  of  the  envelope  are  becoming  very 
popular  and  can  be  secured  through  most  church 
envelope  makers.  Ninety-five  per  cent,  of  the  par- 
ents who  do  not  attend  will  be  glad,  if  rightly 
approached,  to  make  pledges  of  from  five  to  fifty 
cents  per  week.  In  a  railroad  town,  a  canvass  of 
such  parents  added  ;^700  to  the  pledged  income; 
also  several  members  to  the  church.  Parents  who 
attend  will  be  reminded  of  their  own  pledges,  for 
every  child  "  will  be  an  alarm  clock  at  duplex 
envelope  time  each  Sunday." 


The  Children  and  Church  Finance      253 

The  duplex  envelopes  can  be  received  by  classes, 
if  it  is  desired  to  stimulate  competition  in  gifts. 
But  systematic  and  intelligent  education  as  to 
stewardship  and  giving  by  occasional  addresses, 
emphasizing  God's  ownership  and  that  all  material 
and  spiritual  blessings  come  from  Him,  will  in  the 
long  run  be  immeasurably  superior  to  class  competi- 
tions. Competitive  giving  is  better  than  no  giving, 
but  it  is  abnormal  and  usually  ceases  with  the 
competition.  Appeal  to  the  heroic  in  asking  for 
gifts.  Induce  the  children  and  young  people  to 
enroll  in  the  "Tenth  Legion"  as  soldiers  for  the 
King  through  sacrificial  gifts  of  money. 

Secure  pledges  by  consultation  with  the  parents. 
Pledges  can  be  obtained  at  the  time  of  the  regular 
church  canvass,  or  by  visits  by  the  teachers.  Par- 
tial results  can  be  secured  by  sending  home  pledge 
cards  which  must  be  countersigned  by  the  parents 
after  they  are  signed  by  the  child.  The  pledge 
means  that  the  child's  gifts  will  be  audited.  Quar- 
terly reports  sent  to  the  parents  to  secure  the  pay- 
ments of  arrears  will  obviate  the  temptation,  com- 
mon to  children,  to  "  split "  the  gift  and  spend  part 
of  it  in  the  slot  machine  or  at  the  candy  store. 

The  children  should  give  out  of  their  earnings,  if 
possible.  This  increases  the  value  of  giving  by  de- 
veloping character  and  securing  self-denial.  Even 
a  six-year-old  can  earn.  Certainly  the  eight  year- 
old  should  have  regular  tasks  in  the  home,  and 
should  receive  a  definite  allowance.  At  least  he 
should   himself  put  the  money  in,  and  seal,  the 


254  Modern  Church  Finance 

envelopes  himself.  Parents  should  be  urged  to 
train  their  children  as  to  the  four  points :  to  earn, 
to  save,  to  spend  wisely  and  to  give  liberally. 

Eradicate  the  "  penny  "  idea.  The  amount  given 
is  less  important  than  the  habit,  yet  even  a  child 
should  give  as  he  may  prosper  and  to  the  point 
of  sacrifice.  He  cannot  attend  the  movies  for  a 
penny,  and  he  usually  invests  more  than  a  cent  in 
peanuts  or  candy  or  a  street-car  ride.  It  is  a  sin 
for  him  to  give  less  to  God,  unless  he  is  very  poor. 
Many  Sunday-schools  now  sing,  "  Hear  the  nickels 
(or  money)  dropping."  If  the  father  can  give  but 
little  he  should  divide  the  amount  so  that  if  pos- 
sible each  child  may  offer  nickels. 

Every  child  should  be  reached.  In  a  Sunday- 
school  of  700  members  recently  visited,  ninety -eight 
per  cent,  of  the  scholars  enrolled  one  month  or 
more  were  pledged.  In  another  school,  one  hun- 
dred per  cent,  are  so  reported.  In  one  case,  one 
hundred  and  fifty  pupils  pledged  for  benevolences 
$4.64  per  Sunday  and  actually  paid  in  $4.51,  a  loss 
of  only  $1.56  out  of  $238.08  pledged. 

Do  not  eliminate  special  offerings.  The  system 
must  be  flexible.  The  Hebrews  gave  the  tithes 
regularly  and  special  offerings  frequently.  Stimu- 
late spontaneous  liberality  by  birthday  gifts,  self- 
denial  offerings  (for  a  week  or  a  month),  and  about 
four  or  six  special  offerings  during  the  year,  in  con- 
nection with  special  education,  for  such  interests  as 
Foreign  Missions  at  Easter,  Sunday-school  Work  in 
June,  Home  Missions  at  Thanksgiving,  Charity  at 


The  Children  and  Church  Finance      255 

Christmas  and  Negro  Missions  at  Lincoln's  Birth- 
day. But  these  must  be  regarded  as  supplements, 
not  substitutes,  for  the  systematic  gifts. 

Giving  should  not  be  done  simply  to  conform 
with  custom,  but  should  be  accompanied  by  educa- 
tion as  to  the  causes.  Unintelligent  giving  ceases 
to  be  cheerful  giving,  comes  to  be  regarded  as  a 
tax  and  is  resented.  It  may  create  a  lifelong 
prejudice  against  giving.  There  should  be  a 
five  minute  concrete  talk  each  Sunday,  or  at  least 
each  month,  about  the  lives,  work,  successes  and 
problems  of  the  missionaries.  The  missionary  com- 
mittee should  secure  and  make  large  use  of  mis- 
sionary maps  and  charts,  stereopticon  lectures,  wall 
pictures,  etc.,  to  help  arouse  interest. 

Since  the  child  must  learn  to  make  rational 
choices  as  he  grows  to  maturity,  let  the  Sunday- 
school  aid  by  having  public  discussions  and  ma- 
jority votes  concerning  the  distribution  of  both 
benevolences  and  support  funds.  Some  definite 
objects  should  receive  the  same  appropriations  each 
year,  but  special  appropriations  should  be  made  by 
vote  of  the  school  from  time  to  time  as  for  educat- 
ing a  Chinese  boy,  paying  the  hospital  expenses  of 
a  child  of  the  neighborhood,  or  buying  a  picture  of 
Jesus  for  the  prayer-meeting  room. 

Treat  each  child's  contributions,  though  only 
one  cent  a  week,  Avith  the  same  courtesy  as  those 
of  the  rich.  Two  newsboys  in  a  Newark  Sunday- 
school  between  them  pledged  one  cent  each  week. 
As    interest  and   business  grew,  they  were  soon 


256  Modem  Church  Finance 

giving  a  great  deal  more  and  may  be  giving  thou- 
sands some  day. 

The  legitimate  work  of  organized  adult  classes 
may  be  financed  from  the  regular  budget  but 
they  should  raise  "  good  times  "  funds  as  extras. 

Records  for  those  under  sixteen  or  twenty  may 
be  kept  by  the  teachers,  or  by  a  special  assistant 
to  the  church  bookkeeper,  instead  of  the  regular 
financial  secretary.  By  having  red  envelopes  for 
the  children,  they  can  be  easily  separated,  the  red 
envelopes  deposited  in  the  church  being  given  to 
the  Sunday-school  secretary. 

Teach  the  children  to  give  to  the  poor  at  Christ- 
mas not  simply  old  clothes  or  toys  of  no  further 
use  to  the  giver,  but  at  personal  sacrifice.  In  a 
Chicago  school,  a  "  Chinese  Christmas  "  is  observed 
in  October  when  each  child  or  class  brings  Christ- 
mas presents  for  one  or  more  children  in  the  school 
in  the  Mission  in  China  to  which  the  church  and 
school  contribute  regularly.  An  Ohio  school  sends 
a  similar  box  to  a  remote  mountain  school  in 
Kentucky.  In  another  school,  the  Christmas  offer 
ing  goes  to  a  different  cause  each  year :  a  hospital 
in  Alaska,  famine  relief  in  India,  Bibles  for  the 
Italian  Mission,  etc. 

Whatever  plan  is  adopted,  do  not  be  content  to 
work  it  half-heartedly.  Exalt  the  offerings  by  an 
impressive  offertory  service.  Do  not  waste  money 
on  inferior  causes.  Expect  increased  pledges  each 
year  with  increased  interests. 

Let  me  close  by  quoting :  "  The  Every  Member 


The  Children  and  Church  Finance      257 

Plan  in  the  Sunday-school,"  by  Eev.  George  H. 
Trull:  (This  leaflet  with  others  of  kindred  value 
can  be  obtained  by  sending  ten  cents  to  Mr.  Trull, 
156  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York.) 

A  questionnaire  was  recently  addressed  to  a  number 
of  Presbyterian  Sunday-schools  which  have  been  using 
the  double  pocket  envelope  for  periods  ranging  from 
three  months  to  three  years.  These  schools  are 
located  in  fourteen  states,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific,  vary  in  membership  from  one  hundred  to 
five  hundred,  some  in  large  cities,  others  in  small 
towns.  Their  experience  with  the  Every  Member 
Plan  is  typical.  The  following  facts  are  brought 
out: 

First  The  percentage  of  subscribers  at  the  begin- 
ning ranges  from  ten  to  one  hundred.  Most  of  the 
schools  report  having  enlisted  from  one-third  to  two- 
thirds  of  their  membership.  The  success  of  the  system 
is  not  dependent  upon  its  being  adopted  unanimously 
at  the  outset. 

Second.  The  majority  of  the  schools  have  intro- 
duced the  plan  into  all  departments,  from  Beginners 
to  Adults.  A  few  schools  report  the  adoption  of  the 
plan  only  by  the  grades  above  the  Primary. 

Third.  The  almost  universal  testimony  is  that  the 
introduction  of  the  Every  Member  Plan  has  increased 
the  offerings  both  to  local  support  and  to  benevo- 
lence. The  increase  in  benevolence  reported  varied 
from  fifteen  per  cent,  to  three  hundred  per  cent. 
Only  two  schools  reported  no  increase.  In  one  of 
these,  a  fundamental  principle  of  the  plan  was 
ignored,  in  that  no  subscriptions  were  sought  for 
benevolences.      This     school,    although    using    the 


258  Modern  Church  Finance 

double  pocket  envelope,  sought  to  get  all  its  money 
for  itself.  The  other  school  reported  that  the  Sun- 
day-school and  church  contributiODS  all  go  into  one 
fund,  the  finance  committee  determining  how  much 
may  go  to  the  local  Sunday-school  support  and  how 
much  to  the  Boards  of  the  church.  Our  correspond- 
ent says  :  ^'To  secure  liberal  subscriptions  it  seemed 
necessary  to  assure  subscribers  that  no  additional  ap- 
peals will  be  made.  This  shuts  out  all  opportunities 
for  special  appeal  in  cases  in  which  children  are 
easily  interested,  and  destroys  the  fruits  of  timely 
lessons,  enthusiastic  effort,  and  large  and  hearty  gifts 
that  we  used  to  have  on  Children's  Day,  Easter, 
Christmas  and  other  special  occasions."  The  diffi- 
culty in  this  school  is  quite  evident.  They  have 
adopted  a  form  of  the  Every  Member  Plan  which  ex- 
cludes special  offerings.  This  is  fatal  to  generous 
giving,  as  is  indicated  by  the  correspondent.  An- 
other defect  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  benevolences  to 
which  the  school  contributes  are  not  made  vital. 

Fourth.  Most  of  the  schools  report  the  use  of  two 
sets  of  envelopes,  one  for  the  Sunday-school,  and  the 
other  for  the  church.  Only  three  schools  voiced  any 
objection  to  the  use  of  two  sets  of  envelopes,  and  this 
objection  was  not  strong.  No  other  objection  than 
this  to  the  Every  Member  Plan  was  raised  in  the 
reports  of  any  of  the  schools. 

Fifth.  Some  schools  reported  that  their  contribu- 
tions to  benevolences  were  to  the  same  objects  as 
those  adopted  by  the  church.  Others  had  different 
objects,  but  very  few  schools  report  adequate  pro- 
vision for  graded  objects  of  giving.  Little  attention 
seems  to  have  been  given  to  this  important  feature. 
The  whole  secret  of  increasing  benevolences  lies  in 


The  Children  and  Church  Finance      259 

choosiug  objects  that  make  a  natural  appeal  to  the 
contributor,  and  in  providing  adequate  information 
about  the  objects  to  which  the  money  goes. 

In  closing,  we  would  remark  that :  First,  the 
church  should  make  a  liberal  provision  for  the  Sab- 
bath-school. A  close-fisted  policy  here  is  as  foolish 
as  in  regard  to  West  Point  or  as  to  the  public 
schools.  The  average  school  should  greatly  in- 
crease its  expenditures  so  as  to  have  better  sup- 
plies and  periodicals,  more  printed  follow-up  cards 
and  letters,  a  card  index  system  and  more  postage, 
more  busy  work  material,  more  delegates'  expenses 
paid  to  Sunday-school  conventions  and  institutes, 
more  separate  class  rooms  and  a  fully  adequate  mod- 
ern Sunday-school  plant,  more  and  better  maps, 
charts,  furniture,  socials,  entertainments,  special 
magazines  and  books  for  teachers,  etc. 

Suppose  the  Sabbath-school  has  been  raising  a 
budget  of  $400.  When  the  church  includes  the 
school  in  its  budget,  it  should  allow  at  least  $500, 
$125  being  paid  over  by  the  church  treasurer  quar- 
terly in  advance  to  the  treasurer  of  the  executive 
committee  of  the  Sabbath-school. 

But  the  church  will  not  lose  by  supporting  the 
Sabbath-school,  since  pledges  from  the  children 
usually  increase  their  gifts  one  hundred  per  cent. 


XYII 

Raising  Funds  for  Missions  and 
Benevolences 

FOE  a  fuller  treatment  of  this  subject  the  liter- 
ature issued  by  the  Laymen's  Missionary 
Movement,  by  the  Missionary  Education 
Movement,  and  by  the  missionary  and  benevolent 
agencies  of  your  denomination  should  be  diligently 
studied. 

Any  adequate  treatment  of  successful  church 
finance  must  give  large  consideration  to  benevolences 
and  missions.  These  are  not  luxuries  or  extras 
which  a  church  may  support  or  not  as  it  sees  fit. 
Christ  was  a  missionary  and  commanded  His  fol- 
lowers as  a  body  and  as  individuals  to  follow  His 
example.  To  ignore  His  repeated  instructions  to 
*'  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,"  to  "  preach  the  gospel 
to  every  creature,"  and  to  "  disciple  all  the  nations  " 
is  to  disobey  Christ  Himself. 

The  church  which  neglects  missions  is  refusing 
to  recognize  Christ  as  Lord  and  Master.  Unbeliev- 
ers in  missions  may  be  saved  in  spite  of  their  in- 
difference and  ignorance,  but  the  churches  of  to- 
morrow will  not  retain  them  in  full  membership. 
The  goal  of  Christianity  is  nothing  less  than  the 

260 


Missions  and  Benevolences  261 

salvation  of  every  man  and  all  of  man,  and  no 
worthy  child  of  God  can  be  happy  until  all  his 
Father's  other  children  are  brought  to  know  and 
enjoy  their  rights  and  blessings. 

Decent  gratitude  demands  missionary  liberality. 
Ninety-five  churches  out  of  a  hundred  in  America 
have  received  direct  missionary  aid,  and,  indeed,  not 
a  church  would  exist  outside  of  Asia  but  for  mis- 
sionary activity.  All  the  prosperity  of  the  Anglo- 
Saxons,  and  especially  of  Americans,  above  their 
fellow-men  in  heathen  nations,  is  due  to  Christian- 
ity. That  wages  in  America  average  two  or 
three  dollars  a  day  and  are  increasing,  as  compared 
with  average  wages  of  six  and  eight  and  ten  cents 
in  China  and  India  and  Africa,  is  due  to  Christianity 
coming  first  to  us,  a  proof  of  God's  love  and  con- 
fidence that  we  would  be  honest  in  using  this  pros- 
perity to  pass  on  to  all  nations  the  Gospel  which 
brought  it,  which  has  redeemed  us  from  cannibalism 
and  hunger  and  is  redeeming  us  from  animalism 
and  materialism. 

The  Golden  Kule  demands  that  whoever  believes 
the  Gospel  is  worth  keeping  for  himself  must  help 
to  the  utmost  to  give  it  to  others,  else  he  is  not 
doing  to  others  as  he  would  be  done  by.  The  bless- 
ings of  God  are  dependent  upon  obedience  to  His 
missionary,  as  well  as  His  other  social  and  moral, 
commands.  Most  local  or  community  expendi- 
tures should  be  included  in  the  church  support 
budget.  Lodges  pay  their  state  taxes  without 
calling  them   benevolences,   and  churches  should 


262  Modern  Church  Finance 

do  likewise  in  support  of  their  state  and  national 
administration. 

While  churches  which  are  small,  or  are  made  up 
of  very  poor  people,  cannot  give  so  largely,  even 
the  smallest  and  poorest  and  most  debt-ridden 
church  must  give  something  systematically  to  mis- 
sions in  order  to  develop  that  world  vision  and  sac- 
rificial spirit  which  shall  enable  it  really  to  under- 
stand and  benefit  by  the  Gospel  of  Christ  and  to 
secure  loyal  support  for  its  own  work. 

The  total  given  to  benevolences  by  the  individual 
church  will  depend  on  circumstances.  The  illumi- 
nating command  to  "  Love  thy  neighbor  as  thy- 
self "  implies  that  a  church  should  endeavor  to  give 
as  much  as  it  spends  upon  itself.  Hundreds  of 
churches,  rural  and  city,  already  do  this.  Tens  of 
thousands  of  other  American  churches  will  do  it 
when  their  members  begin  to  give  as  they  should. 
Many  churches  should,  and  some  already  do,  give 
from  two  to  ten  times  as  much  as  they  spend  on 
themselves. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  urges  that  every 
congregation  shall  seek  to  make  its  benevolences 
equal  to  its  expenses.  The  Covenanter  Church 
averages  over  ten  dollars  per  member  for  benevo- 
lences as  against  over  fifteen  dollars  for  church  sup- 
port. The  United  Presbyterians  average  six  dollars 
and  twenty  cents  per  member  per  year  to  benevo- 
lences and  urge  that  ten  cents  per  week  per  mem- 
ber is  the  lowest  standard  for  any  self-supporting 
church. 


Missions  and  Benevolences  263 

To  bring  churches  and  their  members  to  recog- 
nize and  fully  perform  their  duty  to  the  Kingdom, 
the  following  features  are  essential,  among  others. 
These  are  stressed  by  the  leading  missionary  agencies 
as  the  "Characteristic  Features  of  the  Standard 
Missionary  Church."  They  are  fully  treated  in  lit- 
erature issued  by  the  agencies  referred  to  above,  es- 
pecially in  the  "  Manual  of  Missionary  Methods,"  by 
J.  Campbell  White,  which  we  quote  here. 

1.  A  missionary  pastor  who  regards  the  world 
as  his  field,  who  persistently  and  deliberately  plans 
and  prays  for  the  extension  of  the  Kingdom  of 
Christ  throughout  the  world.  Such  a  pastor  is  a 
mighty  educational,  financial  and  spiritual  force,  the 
most  important  single  factor  in  developing  a  mis- 
sionary church. 

^.  An  energetic  missionary  committee^  upon 
which  the  rank  and  file  of  the  congregation  should 
be  represented  as  well  as  the  oflBcials.  Appoint  a 
committee  of  three  or  ^yq  to  begin  with,  with 
power  to  nominate  additional  members  as  suitable 
parties  are  found.  The  committee  should  aim  to 
lead  the  whole  congregation  into  an  intelligent  and 
growing  appreciation  of  the  problem  of  evangeliz- 
ing the  world,  from  the  community  to  the  end  of 
the  earth,  to  the  end  that  the  congregation  may 
exert  its  largest  influence  through  prayer,  posses- 
sions and  life  in  extending  Christ's  Kingdom  until 
it  becomes  universal.  It  will  not  assume  the  work 
done  by  departmental  missionary  committees  but 
will  coordinate  and  supplement  it. 


264  Modern  Church  Finance 

3.  A  missionary  Sunday-school.  Special  atten- 
tion should  be  given  to  missionary  education  in 
every  department,  from  the  Kindergarten  to  the 
Adult  Bible  Classes,  dealing  v^ith  missionary 
knowledge,  prayer  and  finance. 

4-.  A  comprehensive  program  of  prayer  for  mis- 
sions^ in  the  homes,  the  church  services,  the  society 
and  class  meetings,  the  monthly  mid-week  mission- 
ary meeting,  prayer  circles,  etc.  The  Duplex 
Envelope  Company  will  furnish  its  envelopes,  with 
no  extra  charge,' with  the  prayer  topics  prepared  by 
the  Laymen's  Missionary  Movement  for  each  week 
in  the  year  printed  on  their  backs. 

5.  Systematic  m,issionary  education.  Sermons 
and  lectures,  missionary  prayer-meetings,  study 
classes  and  reading  circles,  books  and  magazines, 
pamphlets  and  items  in  the  church  bulletin,  ad- 
dresses by  laymen,  maps  and  charts  and  mottoes 
and  stereopticons  and  other  means  will  be  used. 

6.  An  every  memher  canvass  for  missions. 
Usually  but  one  annual  canvass  is  made,  securing 
both  church  support  and  benevolence  pledges  on 
one  visit,  both  because  the  preliminary  education 
as  to  missions  and  stewardship  will  arouse  larger 
enthusiasm  for  and  insure  more  liberal  pledges  for 
the  local  church,  because  folks  will  not  give  so  well 
to  current  expenses  when  they  are  to  be  approached 
again  for  benevolences  at  a  later  time,  because  of 
the  difficulty  to  secure  two  thorough  educational 
campaigns  and  canvasses  in  one  year,  and  because 
it  will  take  all  the  available  enthusiasts  for  both 


Missions  and  Benevolences  ^65 

church  support  and  benevolences  to  complete  a 
canvass  in  one  day  as  is  essential  to  the  best  results. 

7.  The  weekly  offering  for  missions.  Every 
argument  for  this  system  for  church  support  argues 
it  for  benevolence  also.  To  use  the  weekly  plan 
for  the  pastor's  salary  and  a  monthly  plan,  a  hit  and 
miss  collection  plan,  or  any  other  half-way  method, 
for  the  support  of  the  missionary,  is  heathenish. 
Instead  of  recognizing  missions  as  the  supreme 
business  of  the  church,  it  belittles  the  missionary 
and  puts  the  salvation  of  the  world  on  the  same 
basis  as  a  holiday  treat.  God  has  blessed,  both 
tinancially  and  spiritually,  those  churches  which 
use  the  weekly  plan  for  benevolences  as  well  as 
church  support. 

Indeed,  the  command  of  Paul  as  to  weekly  giv- 
ing (1  Cor.  XV i.  2)  refers  specifically  to  a  benevo- 
lence collection  for  the  poor  saints  in  another  land. 
Before  duplex  envelopes  were  invented,  there  was 
some  argument  for  using  the  weekly  system  for 
current  expenses  only,  to  save  carrying  two  envel- 
opes each  Sunday,  but  that  argument  has  turned 
the  other  way  since  it  is  easier  to  carry  a  duplex 
envelope  every  Sabbath  and  thus  avoid  all  extra 
envelopes.  This  system,  properly  pushed,  increases 
the  income  for  church  expenses. 

An  eighth  essential  might  be  named :  a  special 
missionary  treasurer,  since  many  cases  have  arisen 
where  a  current  expense  treasurer  who  handles  be- 
nevolence funds  has  borrowed  from  the  benevolences 
and  has  never  paid  back     (See  Chapter  XI.) 


266  Modern  Church  Finance 

Additional  Points 

The  missionary  or  some  other  committee  should 
determine  and  announce  in  advance  the  percentage 
basis  on  which  all  offerings  will  be  divided  among 
the  Boards  of  the  church.  This  basis  may  be 
determined  by  averaging  the  gifts  of  the  church  to 
the  various  causes  during  preceding  years,  or  by 
studying  the  obligations  of  the  church  for  the 
future  and  the  budget  of  the  church  at  large. 

Individual  givers  will  as  a  rule  accept  the  distri- 
bution arranged  by  the  officers  as  best  meeting  the 
needs.  Those  who  so  prefer  should  be  permitted  to 
indicate  how  they  wish  their  gifts  divided,  but 
they  should  be  urged  to  make  their  distribution  as 
simple  as  possible.  Such  special  distribution  can  be 
made  best  at  the  close  of  the  year.  If  agencies 
other  than  church  boards  are  to  be  aided,  from  five 
to  twenty  per  cent,  should  be  set  aside  as  a  "  Gen- 
eral Fund "  to  be  distributed  for  such  purposes, 
remembering  that  the  first  obligation  is  to  the  work 
of  your  religious  body.  In  one  church  a  man  gave 
one  hundred  dollars  for  the  anti-saloon  league  and 
only  ten  cents  per  week  to  missions.  A  woman 
gave  fifty  dollars  to  a  hospital  and  only  ten  dollars 
to  all  church  work.     Such  need  much  education. 

Sometimes,  when  the  current  expense  officials 
are  opposed  or  indifferent  to  benevolences  and 
would  make  very  ineffective  canvassers  therefore,  or 
where  the  canvass  has  fallen  into  ruts,  or  where 
there  is  a  very  difficult  current  expense  problem  to 
be  solved  so  that  both  causes  might  suffer  by  a 


Missions  and  Benevolences  267 

joint  canvass,  a  separate  canvass  is  made  for  benevo- 
lences, from  four  to  ten  weeks  after  the  church 
support  canvass,  usually  by  a  smaller  number  of 
canvassers,  using  only  those  men  and  women  who 
have  real  missionary  passion. 

Allow  for  occasional  special  offering.'  Do  not 
make  the  pledge  system  a  lock  to  shut  out  claims 
upon  larger  generosity.  Have  an  annual  sacrificial 
offering  at  Easter.  Until  the  response  is  universally 
liberal,  use  the  plan  of  a  successful  and  efficient 
pastor  who  says : 

"  While  diligently  seeking  a  pledge  on  the  weekly 
basis  each  year,  from  every  member,  we  reserve  the 
right  to  make  two  special  appeals  each  year — one 
for  Anti-Saloon  Work  and  the  other  for  an  earth- 
quake or  similar  emergency. 

"  We  also  have  an  offering  for  Benevolences  at 
each  communion— one  for  Foreign  Missions,  one  for 
Home  Missions,  two  for  the  other  Boards.  I  send 
out  a  letter  in  advance  of  each,  especially  to  non- 
pledgers,  calling  their  attention  to  it.  I  announce 
from  the  pulpit  that  the  pledged  givers  are  already 
contributing  to  all  the  Boards,  that  this  is  the  op- 
portunity for  strangers,  and  for  those  who  wish  to 
make  either  a  free-will  or  praise  offering  or  a  sup- 
plemental gift  to  any  cause." 

Loose  offerings  may  be  divided  equally  between 
current  expenses  and  benevolences,  or  on  a  per- 
centage basis  in  proportion  to  the  respective  pledges. 

It  is  often  unwise  to  fix  on  a  specific  budget  for 
benevolences  as  suggested  elsewhere.     But  suggest 


268  Modern  Church  Finance 

a  high  ultimate  goal  and  seek  to  educate  people  up 
to  it.  If  your  denomination  makes  an  apportion- 
ment, remember  it  is  not  an  ideal  but  a  minimum 
goal  which  the  stingiest  church  should  meet  and 
which  an  honorable  church  will  far  exceed.  Em- 
phasize tithing,  giving  to  current  expenses  from 
one-quarter  to  one-half,  depending  upon  the 
ability  of  the  giver  and  the  needs  of  the  church, 
and  the  balance  to  benevolences.  As  the  Hebrew 
gave  free-will  offerings  after  bringing  the  tithe 
into  the  storehouse,  so  many  a  Christian  gives 
the  tithe  to  the  two  budgets  of  the  church  and 
gives  extra  offerings  to  meet  all  outside  calls.  Al- 
ways insist  upoji  every  member  and  every  child 
participating. 

Do  not  use  monthly  pledges  for  benevolences 
when  weekly  pledges  are  used  for  current  expenses. 
It  is  usually  just  as  easy  to  install  the  weekly  pledge 
as  the  monthly,  and  more  will  be  given.  Other- 
wise you  will  yet  have  the  extra  trouble  of  the 
change  again  to  the  weekly  plan. 

The  '^  Omnibus  system  "  of  one  annual  collection 
for  benevolences  is  even  worse  than  the  hit-and- 
miss  collection  system.  While  the  latter  is  de- 
pendent on  the  weather  and  the  fluency  of  the 
speaker  of  the  day,  the  omnibus  system  makes  suc- 
cess impossible  since  few  people  can  or  will  pay 
half  as  much  in  one  payment  as  they  would  in  fifty- 
two  payments.     To  use  this  system  is  treason. 

If  the  collection  system  is  temporarily  maintained 
for  good  reasons,  have  a  collection  for  one  cause 


Missions  and  Benevolences  269 

each  month.  Appeals  for  Home  and  Foreign  Mis- 
sions should  be  made  in  two  or  three  different 
months.  Preach  a  sermon,  or  at  least  make  an  ad- 
dress, then  circulate  subscription  cards  allowing 
several  weeks  for  payments,  before  the  baskets  are 
passed.  Provide  in  advance  for  lead  pencils.  Fol- 
low up  by  a  personal  visit  those  who  do  not  sub- 
scribe. Or,  after  proper  presentation,  send  a  letter 
to  each  member  during  the  following  week  enclos- 
ing a  special  envelope  for  the  offering  or  pledge. 
These  plans  will  bring  from  fifty  to  five  hundred 
per  cent,  more  than  ordinary  collections. 

Have  an  efficient  treasurer  who  will  have  the  ac- 
counts properly  kept  and  will  remit  promptly. 
One  hundred  dollars  sent  the  last  week  of  the  year 
is  worth  only  ninety-seven  dollars,  since  three  dol- 
lars must  be  paid  as  interest  by  the  Boards  which 
borrow  the  money  until  it  arrives.  Kemittances 
should  be  made  monthly,  or  at  least  quarterly. 

Have  aggressive  action  by  the  Committee  on 
Missionary  Education.  The  collection  plan  had  at 
least  the  advantage  of  a  regular  presentation  of  the 
work  of  the  boards  and  it  will  be  fatal  if  that 
ceases.  Unintelligent  giving  will  soon  cease  to  be 
liberal. 


XYIII 
A  Constructive  Church  Financial  Policy 

IN  response  to  a  great  many  requests  for  "a 
financial  policy  in  proper  form  for  presenta- 
tion to  a  congregation"  for  adoption,  the 
writer  prepared  such  a  tentative  policy  which  was 
issued  by  the  Presbyterian  Boards  of  Home  Mis- 
sions and  which  is  here  abridged  and  reproduced. 

While  incomplete,  it  will  prove  suggestive  in 
formulating  an  official  policy  which  can  be  modi- 
fied from  time  to  time.  Of  course  no  church  can 
use  it  without  modification  to  suit  existing  condi- 
tions, and  including  additional  features. 

We  preface  each  element  of  the  program  with  a 
brief  statement  of  the  argument  therefor.  A  con- 
gregation should  consider  and  adopt  each  recom- 
mendation separately. 

1.  A  Scriptural  standard.  Whereas  the  Bible 
nowhere  speaks  of  oyster  suppers,  bazaars  or  pink 
teas  as  methods  of  raising  money,  but  constantly 
assumes  that  the  Lord  has  a  right  to  a  share  of  the 
income  of  every  Christian,  to  be  used  for  His  work ; 
therefore,  be  it 

Resolved.,  That  this  church  does  henceforth  rely 
on  Scriptural  and  direct  giving  on  the  part  of  its 
members,   believing  that  the  people,  if  properly 

270 


A  Constructive  Church  Financial  Policy  271 

trained  in  systematic  and  liberal  giving  to  the 
Lord,  made  intelligent  concerning  the  work  to  be 
done,  and  given  the  advantage  of  a  suitable  system 
efficiently  worked,  can  be  relied  on  as  intelligent 
American  Christians  to  furnish  the  money  needed. 

2.  Modern  businesslike  management.  Whereas 
business  sense  is  a  talent  given  of  God ;  and  whereas 
God  instituted  a  definite  system  for  financing  the 
Old  Testament  Church,  and  all  His  universe  is  gov- 
erned by  system,  so  that  it  is  evident  He  would 
rather  have  successful  businesslike  management 
than  sentimental,  emotional  or  pious  failure ;  and 
whereas  God  expects  progress  in  His  business  as 
well  as  our  own ;  therefore  be  it 

Besolved,  That  we  who  no  longer  ride  on  stage 
coaches,  or  wear  homespun,  but  make  use  of  busi- 
ness sense  and  modern  ways  in  all  phases  of  per- 
sonal interest,  shall  give  the  Lord's  business  the 
best  of  modern  business  management. 

3.  Unified  management  needed.  Whereas  the 
financial  interests  of  the  church  are  one,  and 
whereas  the  multitude  of  money-raising  societies 
and  agencies  bring  such  confusion  as  that  some 
persons  contribute  through  a  single  agency  and 
measure  that  one  gift  by  the  gift  to  that  agency  of 
some  one  who  is  contributing  through  possibly  a 
dozen  other  societies  and  channels;  and  whereas 
the  successful  financing  of  the  local  church  con- 
duces to  missionary  liberality,  and  increase  in  mis- 
sionary liberality  leads  to  better  support  of  the 
home  church  ;  therefore  be  it 


272  Modern  Church  Finance 

Besolved,  That  the  finances  of  this  church  shall 
be  centralized  under  one  management ;  that  a  Fi- 
nance Board  (or  Committee)  be  appointed  which 
shall  have  the  exclusive  right  and  duty  to  raise 
money,  whether  for  church  support  or  missions  ; 
and  that  this  Board  shall  consist  of  two  elders,  two 
trustees,  two  deacons,  two  women,  and  adequate 
representation  from  the  Sunday-school,  Young 
People's  and  other  organizations. 

Jf.  Local  church.  Whereas  all  the  interests  of 
the  local  church  must  be  liberally  financed,  since 
self-preservation  is  the  first  law  of  life,  growth  and 
increased  usefulness ;  therefore  be  it 

Resolved,  That  a  liberal  budget  shall  be  provided 
for  local  needs  to  be  made  up  as  follows ;  Before 
the  first  of  February,  each  year,  each  Board  and 
Society  shall  state  in  writing,  to  the  Finance  Board, 
its  financial  needs  for  the  year  beginning  with  April. 
The  total  of  these  sums,  known  as  the  Current  Ex- 
pense Budget,  shall  be  fully  provided  for  by  pledges 
before  April  first,  and  no  appeals  for  funds  shall 
be  brought  before  the  people  for  any  purpose  by 
any  agency  for  local  support  during  the  next  ten 
months,  save  by  the  consent  of  the  Finance 
Board. 

6.  Pledges  and  payments.  Whereas  pledging 
and  paying  on  the  weekly  basis  is  in  accord  with 
Scripture  teaching,  conduces  both  to  broadening 
the  meaning  of  the  worship  of  God  and  to  bringiug 
religion  into  a  new  and  vital  connection  with  money 
making  during  the  preceding  week,  makes  it  possi- 


A  Constructive  Church  Financial  Policy  273 

ble  for  the  subscriber  to  pledge  larger  amounts  and 
to  pay  more  easily,  and  eliminates  the  worry  of 
officials  about  arrearages ;  therefore  be  it 

Resolved^  That  all  pledges  be  made  on  the  weekly 
basis,  allowing  each  subscriber  the  privilege  of  mak- 
ing payment  weekly,  monthly  or  quarterly,  as  he 
may  prefer,  though  urging  the  weekly  practice  upon 
every  one ;  and  that  pledges  be  secured  from  every 
member  of  the  congregation  by  personal  solicita- 
tion. 

6,  Missionary  advance.  Whereas  the  mission- 
aries are  just  as  consecrated,  just  as  apt  to  get  hun- 
gry, and  just  as  worthy  of  support  as  our  pastor ; 
and  whereas  the  cause  of  missions  has  never  been 
adequately  supported  by  this  church,  making  a 
manifold  increase  necessary  if  we  are  to  perform 
our  responsibility  towards  evangelizing  the  whole 
world ;  therefore  be  it 

Resolved^  That  missions  shall  be  promoted  and 
supported  by  the  same  efficient,  businesslike  sys- 
tem used  in  securing  the  support  of  our  own 
church. 

Resolved^  also^  That  we  look  forward  to  a  day 
when  this  church  shall  contribute  to  missions  and 
benevolences  as  much  as  for  its  own  local  work, 
and  that  in  the  coming  year  we  shall  endeavor  to 
increase  our  missionary  gifts  to  treble  last  year's 
record. 

7.  Businesslike  inethods  for  missions.  Whereas, 
the  Kingdom  of  God  is  one,  and  the  interests  of 
the  Boards  are  one,  so  that  Home  Missions  depends 


274  Modern  Church  Finance 

for  highest  success  on  the  Board  of  Church  Erec- 
tion, Foreign  Missions  depends  on  Home  Missions 
for  the  broadening  of  its  field  of  financial  support, 
and  whereas,  we  do  not  set  apart  January  for  the 
pastor's  grocery  bill,  February  for  his  butcher  bill, 
March  for  the  tailor,  Easter  for  bonnets,  and  May 
for  the  library,  but  combine  all  phases  of  the  pas- 
toral support  as  well  as  Sabbath-school,  insurance 
and  interest,  with  needs  for  choir,  janitor  and  coal 
in  a  single  budget  known  as  the  Current  Expense 
Budget  and  ask  one  pledge  for  all ;  and  whereas, 
the  budget  plan  for  all  the  Boards  is  being  pro- 
moted by  our  denomination ;  therefore  be  it 

Resolved,  That  we  put  all  the  Boards  and  benevo- 
lent agencies  on  the  same  basis,  supporting  all 
through  one  Missionary  Benevolent  Budget,  dis- 
tributing to  each  enterprise  in  proportion  to  its 
importance  and  need ;  and  that  every  member  be 
urged  to  make  an  annual  pledge  on  the  weekly  basis 
towards  this  budget  with  the  same  interest  and 
liberality  with  which  the  local  church  is  supported. 
Resolved^  further^  That  each  subscriber  be  per- 
mitted liberty  to  distribute  his  gifts  among  the  vari- 
ous Boards  as  he  may  desire,  and,  in  cases  where 
no  such  distribution  is  provided  for,  the  Missionary 
Committee  shall  distribute  every  three  months 
when  remittances  shall  be  made  to  the  Boards. 

Provided,  also,  That,  for  the  coming  year,  sup- 
plemental offerings  be  taken  for  each  Board  in  the 
month  hitherto  appointed  it,  so  that,  following  a 
sermon  or  address  on  that  Board,  strangers  and 


A  Constructive  Church  Financial  Policy  275 

non-subscribers  may  contribute  to  its  support  and 
special  additional  contributions  may  be  made  by 
those  who  wish  to  add  to  their  subscriptions. 

8.  Pledge  cards  and  envelopes.  Whereas,  the 
average  Christian  should  and  could  contribute  as 
much  for  the  Boards,  "  for  others,"  as  for  the  Cur- 
rent Expense  Budget,  "  for  ourselves  " ;  and  whereas, 
experience  and  common  sense  teach  that  this  duty 
is  more  effectively  brought  to  each  one  when  he  is 
compelled  to  mark  the  two  causes  side  by  side; 
and  whereas,  the  double-pocket  envelope  is  of  value 
to  the  same  end  and  is  more  convenient  to  the  con- 
tributor ;  therefore  be  it 

Resolved^  That  one  pledge  card  shall  be  used  for 
both  treasuries  and  the  blank  for  the  pledge  for 
Missions  shall  be  immediately  under  the  blank  for 
the  Current  Expense  Budget  so  that  all  who  sub- 
scribe fifty  cents  or  one  dollar  per  week  for  the 
latter  may  realize  the  unfairness  of  giving  only  ten 
or  fifteen  cents  for  missions.  Resolved^  also,  That 
double-pocket  envelopes  be  used. 

9.  Benevolent  treasuries  for  societies.  Whereas, 
the  Sunday-school,  the  Young  People's,  Women's 
and  other  Societies  have  for  years  made  and  paid 
regular  definite  pledges  for  support  of  certain  spe- 
cific work,  and  that  work  would  suffer  if  arrange- 
ments were  changed ;  and  whereas,  each  society 
should  have  a  share  in  expending  or  distributing 
the  missionary  funds ;  therefore  be  it 

Resolved,  That  the  Missionary  Committee  shall 
set  apart  out  of  the  Missionary  Benevolent  Budget 


276  Modern  Church  Finance 

for  the  treasurer  of  each  society  a  sum  which  shall 
be  ten  per  cent,  increase  over  the  amount  contrib- 
uted for  missions  by  that  society  during  the  pre- 
ceding year,  said  sum  to  be  under  the  absolute 
control  of  that  society. 

10.  Educational  program.  Whereas  the  Ameri- 
can people  are  naturally  generous-hearted;  and 
whereas  the  past  failure  of  the  congregation  to  meet 
promptly,  fully  and  freely  all  local  financial  needs 
has  been  due  largely  to  failure  effectively  to  edu- 
cate every  member  covering  the  relation  of  money 
to  religion,  concerning  the  teachings  of  the  Scrip- 
tures as  to  the  duty  and  measure  of  liberality,  and 
as  to  the  needs  of  the  local  church ;  and  whereas 
missionary  education  and  inspiration  are  essential 
to  the  performance  by  any  congregation  of  its  full 
missionary  duty ;  therefore  be  it 

Resolved^  That  the  Finance  Board  be  instructed 
to  plan  an  annual  program  of  education  along  the 
lines  of  both  budgets,  by  sermons,  public  addresses, 
and  printed  matter  ;  that  a  congregational  Mission- 
ary Committee,  representing  all  the  organizations 
of  the  church,  be  appointed  to  cooperate  with  the 
Financial  Board  in  preparing  and  carrying  into 
effect  a  comprehensive  plan  for  educating  every 
member  of  the  congregation  in  missionary  ideals 
and  progress ;  that  the  month  of  March,  each  year, 
be  largely  devoted  to  this  campaign,  following 
which  the  pledges  shall  be  secured ;  and  that 
through  the  year  a  follow-up  campaign  be  con- 
ducted for  securing  prompt  payment  of  pledges. 


A  Constructive  Church  Financial  Policy  277 

securing  new  or  increased  pledges  from  new  mem- 
bers and  others,  and  keeping  the  congregation 
informed  and  interested  in  missions  and  in  the  con- 
dition of  all  the  finances  of  the  congregation. 

11.  Securing  ^pledges  amd  prompt  payments. 
Resolved^  also^  That  the  Financial  Board  shall  be 
responsible  for  the  appointment  and  training  of 
solicitors  to  canvass  the  congregation  and  explain 
the  plan  more  carefully  to,  and  to  secure  adequate 
twofold  pledges  from,  each  member.  They  shall 
also  appoint  a  competent  Financial  Secretary  who 
shall  receive  a  suitable  salary  and  shall  be  required 
faithfully  and  accurately  to  keep  the  records,  send 
out  quarterly  receipts  and  statements,  and  turn 
over  each  week  to  the  treasurer  for  each  budget 
the  amounts  received  therefor ;  as  also  to  call  on 
and  tactfully  collect  from  delinquents. 

Resolved^  also^  That  no  money  shall  be  paid  out 
by  any  treasurer  of  any  society  save  by  warrant 
drawn  by  proper  officers,  that  vouchers  be  kept  for 
all  transactions,  and  that  the  funds  of  each  society 
and  the  accounts  of  each  treasurer  shall  be  annually 
audited  and  public  statement  made  in  proper  form 
at  the  annual  congregational  meeting  in  April,  in 
printed  form. 

12.  The  children  and  young  people.  Whereas, 
the  Scriptures  command,  "  Train  up  a  child  in  the 
way  he  should  go,"  and  promise  that,  "  When  he  is 
old  he  will  not  depart  from  it  "  ;  whereas,  common 
sense  and  experience  alike  show  that  the  success  of 
the  Kingdom  depends  largely  on  the  training  given 


278  Modern  Church  Finance 

the  children  of  the  preceding  generation ;  and 
whereas,  the  child  is  forming  the  habit  of  spending 
money  on  himself  ;  therefore  be  it 

Resolved^  That  we  emphasize  the  necessity  of 
training  each  child  to  regular,  intelligent,  liberal 
giving ;  that  we  urge  all  parents  to  encourage  each 
child  to  give  to  the  church  some  money  which  he 
has  earned  by  his  own  efforts  or  saved  by  his  own 
sacrifice,  and  if  this  is  not  possible  so  to  divide  the 
family  gifts  that  each  child  shall  make  a  twofold 
subscription  and  pay  the  same  with  the  twofold 
envelope,  each  child  in  the  congregation  being 
given  an  annual  package  of  the  twofold  envelopes 
for  his  own  use. 

Resolved^  That  the  Sabbath-school,  as  one  of  the 
most  important  activities  of  the  church,  shall  re- 
ceive from  the  Current  Expense  treasury  a  quar- 
terly allowance  adequate  to  enable  it  to  attain  the 
highest  elSciency ;  that  the  children  shall  be  edu- 
cated in  missions  with  especial  care ;  and  that  the 
Sabbath-school  shall  not  only  receive  a  large  sum 
from  the  Missionary  Budget  for  its  own  intelligent 
disposal,  but  shall  take  supplemental  thank  offer- 
ings for  Home  Missions  at  Thanksgiving,  and  for 
Foreign  Missions  at  Easter,  and  also  a  Children's 
Day  offering. 


XIX 

An  Ideal  Modern  Finance  System 

WHAT  will  be  the  next  improvements  in 
church  finance  policies  ?  The  plan  which 
combines  all  other  church  expenses  in 
one  budget  with  the  pastor's  salary  is  a  logical 
step  towards  the  still  better  plan  of  including  ab- 
solutely all  church  expenses,  including  the  operat- 
ing expenses  of  the  Sunday-school  and  of  the 
women's,  Young  People's  and  other  societies  in 
the  church  budget,  and  ending  all  departmental 
money  raising. 

Likewise,  if  funds  for  Home  and  Foreign  Mis- 
sions and  Christian  education  may  all  be  properly 
included  in  one  budget  and  raised  by  a  single  benev- 
olence pledge,  there  is  no  insuperable  reason  why 
the  benevolences  of  all  departments,  including  even 
the  women's  society,  should  not  be  included  in  and 
raised  with  the  church  benevolence  budget. 

I.    An  Improved  Plan  Needed 
A    bewildering    complexity    of    money-raising 
agencies  greatly  interferes  with  the  financial  effi- 
ciency of  the  average  church.     In  some  cases  these 
societies  become  almost  independent  little  churches 

279 


28o  Modem  Church  Finance 

in  practice,  and  absorb  monies  which  belong  to  the 
congregation.  Even  the  affection  and  loyalty  which 
belong  to  the  church,  as  the  body  of  Christ,  with- 
out which  none  of  these  member  departments 
could  exist,  are  diverted,  and  the  church  is  de- 
preciated. 

The  rich  widow  declines  to  pledge  through  the 
church  budgets  because  "I  give  through  the 
women's  societies,"  though  such  gifts  are  only  a 
tithe  of  her  real  duty.  Many  people  are  entirely 
overlooked  while  others  are  unfairly  "bled  to 
death."  Eliminating  all  money  raising  by  socie- 
ties, making  provision  for  their  budgets  in  an  en- 
larged church  budget  raised  by  duplex  envelopes, 
will  secure  a  greater  unity  for  the  church  and 
make  it  the  center  of  interest  as  it  should  be,  will 
enable  it  to  secure  liberal  pledges  from  every  indi- 
vidual since  they  can  no  longer  hide  behind  minor 
pledges,  and  will  be  a  blessing  to  the  church  in 
every  way.  It  permits  of  fundamental  education 
as  to  Christian  stewardship  which  is  more  perma- 
nent than  the  pleas  to  "  Support  our  own  society," 
or  "  Help  us  in  our  class  plans." 

In  one  church,  five  members  of  one  family  were 
making  thirty-three  distinct  pledges  through  twelve 
different  agencies.  The  father  relates  :  "  My  neigh- 
bor across  the  street  had  the  same  income  as  I  but 
had  no  children  to  support  and  he  and  his  wife  be- 
long to  no  church  societies.  They  made  just  two 
pledges,  one  to  benevolences  and  one  to  current  ex- 
penses, as  against  our  thirty-three.     He  has  always 


An  Ideal  Modern  Finance  System      281 

said, '  I  will  give  as  much  as  you  do,  so  just  make  my 
pledge  when  you  make  your  own  and  for  the  same 
amount.'  When  we  adopted  the  unified  plan,  he 
was  astounded  to  find  that  I  had  been  giving  over 
$200  each  to  church  support  and  benevolences  as 
against  his  $125  to  both  causes.  He  was  willing 
to  increase  to  $212  to  each  cause  when  I  put  down 
that  sum  for  our  family.  Of  course  we  distribute 
so  that  each  member  of  the  family  has  a  pledge  in 
his  own  name  and  uses  his  own  envelopes,  but  our 
church  now  prints  family  credit  totals  as  well  as 
individual  credits  in  our  annual  financial  report." 

II.  An  Improved  Plan  Illustrated 
The  method  is  illustrated  by  the  following  quo- 
tations from  the  pamphlet,  "Unified  Instead  of 
Divided  Giving,"  by  Dr.  L.  C.  Barnes,  printed  by 
Fleming  H.  Kevell  Company,  describing  the  work- 
ings of  the  plan  in  the  First  Baptist  Church  of 
Worcester,  Mass.  Many  churches  all  over  the  land 
in  several  denominations  are  using  the  system  with 
delight  where  it  is  introduced  efficiently. 

In  Church  Support. — The  method  provides  that 
"Church  Support"  shall  include  all  current  ex- 
penses of  the  parish  ;  not  only  salaries,  heating  and 
lighting  and  care  of  property,  but  also  support  of 
the  Bible-school,  the  Women's  Association,  the 
Young  People's  Society,  and  all  other  organizations 
agreed  upon  by  vote  of  the  church. 

A  budget  itemizing  amounts  needed  for  the  en- 
suing year  is  made  up  by  the  finance  committee 


282  Modern  Church  Finance 

of  the  church  and  presented  for  adoption  at  the 
annual  meeting.  The  finance  committee  makes  up 
the  budget  in  view  of  estimates  sent  in  by  the 
various  departments  of  church  work.  For  example 
in  the  Women's  Association,  at  the  close  of  the 
financial  year,  the  chairman  of  each  section  of  the 
Association  submits  to  the  executive  committee  of 
the  Association  an  estimate  of  the  amount  of  money 
needed  for  carrying  on  the  local  work  of  her  sec- 
tion for  the  ensuing  year.  The  executive  com- 
mittee agrees  upon  an  estimate  for  the  whole  Asso- 
ciation, including  all  these  separate  items.  The 
secretary  of  the  Association  sends  to  the  clerk  of 
the  Advisory  Committee  of  the  church  this  estimate 
of  the  total  amount  needed  for  the  local  work  of 
the  Association  for  the  ensuing  year.  It  then  goes 
to  the  finance  committee  of  the  church  with  the 
approval  of  the  Advisory  Committee  of  the  church. 
Thus  everything  in  the  final  budget  has  been  care- 
fully considered  four  times  over  by  various  com- 
mittees, so  that  when  it  comes  to  the  subscriber  he 
knows  that  it  is  not  a  whimsy  but  a  necessity  in 
the  support  of  his  own  church. 

To  make  the  explanation  of  the  matter  still  more 
concrete,  the  following  is  the  budget  of  the  Young 
People's  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor,  incorpo- 
rated in  the  budget  of  the  church  one  year : 

Junior  Y.  P.  S.  C.  E.,  ;^10 ;  Flower  Committee, 
$2Q ;  Social  Committee,  $16 ;  Lookout  Committee, 
$6 ;  Prayer-meeting  Committee  for  Topics,  $7 ; 
Local  Union  Y.  P.  S.  C.  E.,  ^10 ;  State  Y.  P.  S.  C.  E., 


An  Ideal  Modern  Finance  System      283 

$7 ;  Local  B.  Y.  P.  U.,  $2 ;  State  B.  Y.  P.  U.,  ^5 ; 
International  B.  Y.  P.  U.,  $6  ;  Executive  Committee 
for  general  expenses,  ^18.     Total,  ^110. 
The  subscription  card  reads  as  follows : 

"church  support 

First  Baptist  Church,  Worcester,  Mass. 

I  pledge  for  the  year  ending  Dec.  31 ,  $ 

cents  per  week  for  Church  Support,  including 
pew  rent,  in  accordance  with  the  plan  adopted 
by  the  Church,  to  be  used  for  all  local  current 
expenses,  as  salaries,  music,  heating,  lighting, 
Bible-school,  Women's  Association,  Y.  P.  S.  C.  E., 
Chinese  school,  etc. 

Name, 

Address,  • 

Date, 19... 

As  this  is  a  voluntary  pledge  it  may  be  can- 
celled at  any  time  by  giving  notice  to  the  treasurer 
or  the  pastor.  ^^ 

The  running  expenses  of  everything  being  thus 
included,  every  member  of  the  parish  is  expected 
to  make  a  subscription,  and  to  make  it  as  large  as 
the  sum  of  the  five  or  six  subscriptions  which  he 
might  have  been  called  upon  to  make  by  the 
old  method.  This  new  way  has  worked  more 
smoothly  and  successfully  than  the  old  way  gener- 
ally does. 

In   Beneficence. — This   account   has  a  separate 


284  Modem  Church  Finance 

treasurer.  It  includes  all  general  benevolences  and 
charities  in  which  our  denomination  is  engaged, 
and  such  worthy  objects  as  the  Church  or  Ad- 
visory Committee,  from  time  to  time,  may  vote 
to  aid.  All  members  of  the  church  and  congre- 
gation are  asked  to  make  subscriptions  towards 
beneficence. 

The  percentages  of  the  total  offerings  going 
through  each  of  the  channels  are  determined  at  the 
beginning  of  the  financial  year  by  vote  of  the 
church,  upon  the  recommendation  of  the  Advisory 
Committee,  and  are  indicated  on  the  back  of  the 
subscription  card.  Subscribers  can  change  the  per- 
centages of  their  own  subscriptions  if  they  wish,  or 
can  subscribe  under  the  percentages  and  then  name 
lump  sums  in  addition  for  specified  objects ;  so  that 
perfect  individual  liberty  is  secured  within  the  soli- 
darity. A  certain  percentage  is  left  undesignated 
out  of  which,  by  votes,  the  church  meets  special 
appeals  from  time  to  time. 

As  everything  in  "  Church  Support "  is  included 
in  the  subscription  under  that  head,  so  everything 
in  "  Beneficence  "  is  included  in  this,  so  that  instead 
of  having  twenty  appeals  a  year,  less  or  more,  the 
member  has  but  two,  one  for  church  support  and 
one  for  beneficence. 

The  missionary  work  of  the  women  is  included 
as  well  as  that  of  the  Bible-school  and  the  young 
people.  A  portion  of  all  that  the  whole  church 
gives  goes  for  the  splendid  specific  work  managed 
by  women^  and  this  relieves  women  from  the  tend- 


An  Ideal  Modem  Finance  System      285 

ency  to  diminish  relatively  their  contributions  to 
the  general  work,  under  the  pressure  of  the  needs 
of  their  specific  work — a  tendency  which  is  wide- 
spread in  all  denominations.  Furthermore,  each 
member  thus  participates  in  every  department  of 
missionary  work.  Young  and  old,  men  and  women, 
bring  in  their  envelopes  week  by  week  to  the  Sun- 
day morning  and  evening  meetings,  the  Bible- 
school,  the  women's  or  young  people's  meetings, 
according  to  convenience  or  inclination. 
The  pledge  card  reads  as  follows : 


First  Baptist  Church,  Worcester,  Mass. 

I  pledge  for  the  year  ending  Dec.  31, 19...,  $ 

cents  per  week  for  Beneficence,  payable  weekly, 
or  as  I  may  arrange  with  the  Treasurer,  to  be 
used  in  accordance  with  the  plan  adopted  by  the 
Church,  including  all  general  benevolences  and 
charities  in  which  our  denomination  is  engaged, 
and  such  other  objects  as  the  Church  or  Advisory 
Committee  may  from  time  to  time  vote  to  aid. 
The  division  for  this  year  is  outlined  on  the  back 
of  this  pledge  card.  Specific  objects,  if  any,  the 
following  additional  amounts 

Name, 

Address, 

Date, 19... 

As  this  is  a  voluntary  pledge  it  may  be  can- 
celled at  any  time  by  giving  notice  to  the  treasurer 
or  pastor." 


286  Modern  Church  Finance 

(Eeverse  side  of  Beneficence  Card) 

PERCENTAGES  FOB  THIS  YEAR 

Foreign  Missions 00 

American  Baptist  Missionary  Union     -   00 
Woman^s   Baptist  Foreign  Missionary 
Society 00 

Home  Missions 00 

American   Baptist  Home  Mission  So- 
ciety   00 

Woman's  American  Baptist  Home  Mis- 
sion Society 00 

American  Baptist  Publication  Society — 
Bible-school  advancement     •        -        -  00 
Bible  distribution  -        -        -        -   00 

Massachusetts  Baptist  Convention    -        -  00 

Massachusetts  Baptist  Sunday- School  As- 
sociation         00 

City  Missions 00 

Miscellaneous 00 

Worcester  Children's  Friend  Society  -  00 
Northern  Baptist  Education  Society  -  00 
Other  Beneficences  as  the  Church  votes,   00 

100 

Occasion. — This  might  be  characterized  as  the 
method  of  united  instead  of  distracted  giving.  The 
distracted  way  has  come  about  without  intentional 
fault  on  the  part  of  any.  In  the  days  of  the  grand- 
fathers the  average  church  had  but  one  or  two 
financial  objects,  at  first  only  its  own  support. 
Great  steps  in  advance  were  taken  when  home  mis- 
sions added  its  organic  appeal,  then  foreign  mis- 
sions. First  one,  then  two,  now  eight  or  ten  large 
missionary  organizations  ask  support  from  every 
church,  to  say  nothing  of  many  noble  interdenomi- 


An  Ideal  Modem  Finance  System      287 

national  enterprises  and  uncounted  sporadic  under- 
takings. 

Some  honestly  think  that  twenty  force-pumps 
worked  simultaneously  or  at  intervals  will  eject 
more  money  than  would  spontaneously  flow  in  one 
constant  stream  without  any  forcing  or  high-pres- 
sure, except  that  from  the  heavenly  heights. 

Besults. — Experience  in  Worcester  shows  that  the 
high-level  reservoir  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  world-wide 
sympathy  is  sufficient  motive,  and  that  one  ample 
aqueduct  is  better  than  a  large  number  of  uncoordi- 
nated suction  pipes.  The  result  is  especially  sig- 
nificant as  to  the  method  of  united  giving  because 
it  takes  the  place  of  a  doubly  thorough  system  of 
divided  giving.  It  is  often  said  that  the  same  peo- 
ple will  do  more  in  two  churches  than  they  will  in 
one. 

The  following  table  shows  the  total  contributions 
of  the  First  Church  and  the  Main  Street  Church  in 
Worcester  in  each  of  the  last  three  years  before 
their  union,  and  then  the  first  year  after  their  union 
and  the  adoption  of  the  method  of  United  Giving. 
For  the  sake  of  simplicity  only  home  missions,  as 
commonly  so  called,  and  foreign  missions  are  in- 
cluded in  the  table. 

The  new  method  was  not  launched  quite  promptly 
at  the  beginning  of  the  year,  so  that  it  is  the  report 
of  less  than  twelve  months.  It  is  only  of  the  amounts 
actually  paid  by  December  31st.  Considerable  sums 
on  that  year's  subscription  came  in  afterwards.  If 
all  the  payments  for  the  year  were  added  in,  as  they 


288  Modern  Church  Finance 

should  be  in  complete  fairness,  it  would  make  the 
showing  for  the  united  way  considerably  better 
still. 

Home  Foreign 

Missions.  Missions. 

First  year    $640. 04  $748.56  by  many  ways  in  two  churches. 

Second  year  590,68  871.52  by  many  ways  in  two  churches. 

Third  year     590.83  760.88  by  many  ways  in  two  churches. 

976.25  1,607.94    First  year  by  one  way  in  one 
church. 


It  is  agreed  on  all  sides  that  united  giving  is 
much  nearer  the  ideal  than  divided  giving.  But 
many,  while  freely  acknowledging  that,  express  a 
lack  of  faith  that  the  ideal  would  work  well  in  ac- 
tual practice,  just  as  other  unbelievers  think  that 
the  ideals  of  Christianity  in  general  are  too  high  for 
use.  Lo!  exercise  sufficient  faith  to  actually  try 
it,  united  giving  works  twice  as  well  as  divided 
giving. 

It  not  only  works  better  in  general,  but  also  bet- 
ter with  every  group  of  givers.  The  young  people 
have  given,  more  of  them,  more  money  and  to  more 
objects. 

The  women  in  the  united  hudget — When  the 
plan  was  proposed  one  of  the  wise  men  of  the  church 
truly  said,  "  The  women  hold  the  key  to  the  situa- 
tion. In  the  matter  of  votes  they  have  a  two-thirds 
majority.  In  the  matter  of  influence,  we  all  know 
that  the  channels  of  interest  and  enthusiasm  in  the 
church  life  are  largely  controlled  by  the  sentiments 
generated  and  diffused  in  the  many  meetings  held 


An  Ideal  Modern  Finance  System      289 

by  the  women  of  the  church  while  the  men  are  ab- 
sorbed in  their  places  of  business." 

N'o  one  was  willing  to  have  the  stejp  taken  either 
hlindly  or  hy  constraint.  Some  of  the  women  of  this 
church  have  intense  convictimis  about  women^s  work 
at  large,  also  close  knowledge  of  it,  having  been  for 
years  on  the  managhig  hoards  of  the  general  women's 
societies,  home  and  foreign. 

Let  the  president  of  the  Women's  Association  of 
the  church  tell  the  story  in  her  own  words  as  given 
in  The  Watchman. 

*'  The  women  of  the  church  met  together  to  dis- 
cuss and  to  decide  for  themselves  their  place  in  the 
beneficent  work  of  the  church.  Free,  unlimited 
discussion  was  encouraged  on  all  sides  and  phases 
of  the  subject.  *  I  think,'  said  one  of  the  women, 
*  that  we  have  always  done  our  duty  by  the  church 
collection ;  then,  of  course,  we  make  our  offerings 
to  our  own  societies,  just  as  we  feel  like  doing,  in 
addition.' 

"  Following  this  came  a  general  discussion  of  *  our 
own  societies '  and  the  collections,  offerings,  feel- 
ings, duties  and  privileges  pertaining  to  them. 

"  A  venerable  woman,  who  was  one  of  the  first 
speakers  in  the  open  conference,  said :  *  There  are 
no  words  to  express  my  gratitude  for  the  oppor- 
tunity of  saying  what  has  long  been  in  my  heart  on 
this  subject.  I  am  not  able  to  give  large  sums  of 
money.  I  have  very  little  at  my  disposal.  Every 
object  of  beneficence  which  has  been  presented  to 
us  is  dear  to  me.     I  want  some  little  share  in  them 


290  Modern  Church  Finance 

all,  but  my  pennies  are  too  few  to  go  around ;  if  I 
may  contribute  my  mite,  week  by  week,  and  know 
that  it  will  be  increased  by  the  addition  of  other 
mites  and  by  larger  amounts,  until  it  is  capable  of 
division  into  many  parts,  I  can  have  the  joy  of 
knowing  that  I  do  really  share  in  all  the  work.' 

"  A  suggestion  of  fear  as  to  provision  for  *  our 
own  work '  was  quickly  met  by  several  rejoinders 
that  the  whole  worh  is  to  he,  in  truth,  *  our  oion.'* 
One  asked :  *  Will  my  contribution  to  the  Woman's 
Home  and  Foreign  Missionary  Societies  be  affected 
by  this  method  of  giving  ? '  The  reply  was,  *  Your 
contributions  to  the  Woman's  Society  and  all  other 
organizations  for  mission  work  are  included  in  this 
pledge.'  Another  question  was,  *  If  I  give  my  mis- 
sionary money  through  this  plan  of  beneficence 
which  has  been  adopted  by  our  church,  instead  of 
giving  it  all  through  one  or  two  channels,  urging 
other  members  of  the  church  to  do  the  same,  will 
the  church  guarantee  that  the  one  or  two  special 
objects  to  which  I  have  been  accustomed  to  give  shall 
have  just  as  much  money  as  if  I  continued  to  urge 
my  friends  to  give  all  their  missionary  money  to 
these  objects  ? '  The  reply  was,  *  No.  The  church 
assumes  no  responsibility  in  that  matter.  The  aim 
in  this  plan  of  beneficence  is  to  lead  into  large, 
generous  giving  for  the  promotion  of  the  Kingdom 
of  God  in  the  whole  earth.  Leaving  the  dispropor- 
tions of  our  past  beneficences  and  failures  to  be 
beneficent,  we  press  on  towards  the  standard  of  giv- 
ing set  by  our  Lord,  who  freely  gave  Himself  for 


An  Ideal  Modern  Finance  System      291 

the  whole  world.'  Faith  was  declared  to  be  a  bet- 
ter guide  than  fear.  A  broad-browed  woman  with 
many  home  cares  said  :  '  I  have  never  sympathized 
with  the  restriction  of  the  term  "  our  own  work  " 
to  women's  societies.  I  rejoice  in  my  own  church 
home.' 

"After  a  long  and  free  conference  they  voted 
unanimously  to  unite  with  the  other  members  of 
the  church  in  securing  a  common  method  of  work 
for  missions  and  for  other  objects  of  beneficence. 

"  We  have  had  the  usual  deluge  of  special  appeals 
and  special  pleadings  from  without :  but  our  women 
have  been  nobly  steadfast  in  their  loyalty  to  their 
church  and  its  ideals.  All  that  can  be  said  in  praise 
of  the  women  in  this  respect  is  equally  true  of  the 
young  people  in  their  societies. 

"  Careful  analysis  of  the  report  of  the  year  re- 
veals many  interesting  facts : 

"  First.  The  women,  under  the  inspiration  of  the 
larger  ideal  of  '  our  own  work,'  contributed  for 
beneficence  that  year,  by  the  cooperative  method, 
more  than  all  the  members  of  the  two  churches 
contributed  for  Home  and  Foreign  Missions  during 
any  one  of  the  three  years  named,  under  the  old 
methods. 

*'  Second.  The  stimulation  of  broader  interest  in 
the  whole  work  on  the  part  of  the  women  was  felt 
throughout  the  whole  membership  of  the  church. 

"  Third.  By  this  cooperative  method — each 
sharing  in  all  our  mission  work — the  men  of  the 
church  as  well  as  the  women  unite  in  ministering  to 


292  Modern  Church  Finance 

the  homes  and  the  schools  as  well  as  the  churches  of 
our  mission  fields. 

"  Fourth.  The  children  learn  to  associate  mis- 
sion work  with  the  church  life.  The  church  itself 
being  the  Missionary  Society,  through  whose  treas- 
ury their  offerings  go,  they  are  in  no  danger  of 
feeling,  as  they  pass  from  childhood  to  youth  and 
manhood,  that  they  are  outgrowing  missionary 
work.  We  rejoice  in  the  method  which  links  their 
missionary  giving  to  the  church  itself,  leaving  no 
gaps  between  the  various  missionary  organizations 
to  which  they  may  or  may  not  belong  for  varying 
periods  of  time.  No  one  complains  of  the  labor  of 
recording  the  contents  of  their  envelopes — from  one 
cent  a  week  to  larger  sums.  We  all  realize  that 
these  little  men  and  women  are  to  constitute  the 
church  of  the  future.  The  nations  of  the  earth 
must  look  to  them  for  help." 

An  old  hroom. — At  the  end  of  one  year  the  suc- 
cess of  the  plan  was  so  great  that  the  only  thing 
which  could  be  said  by  outside  critics  who  had 
hoped  it  would  be  a  failure  was,  "  Of  course,  while 
it  is  a  new  thing — a  new  broom  sweeps  clean." 

Compare  six  years.  Kemember  that  the  first 
three-year  period  there  were  two  churches  making 
ten  or  more  appeals  each  (at  least  twenty  in  all — as 
a  matter  of  fact,  several  times  that  number)  for  a 
certain  group  of  denominational  beneficences.  The 
second  three-year  period  there  has  been  not  only 
one  church  instead  of  two  but  also  but  one  appeal 
for  those  objects  instead  of,  say  twenty.    The  gain 


An  Ideal  Modern  Finance  System      293 

in  the  amount  of  money  raised  for  those  objects  has 
been  over  fifty  per  cent,  {in  the  midst  of  a  costly 
building  enterprise^  too). 

By  way  of  example,  for  Home  Missions  (using 
the  term  Home  Missions  to  cover  precisely  the 
same  objects  in  both  periods)  during  the  last  three 
years  of  Divided  Giving  the  average  per  year  was 
^607.18  and  it  was  ;^996.72  during  the  first  three 
years  of  United  Giving.  For  Foreign  Missions  the 
average  by  Divided  Giving  was  $793.65,  by  United 
Giving  $1,428.42. 

Neglecting  the  home. — Some  outside  critics  who 
had  been  nettled  because  a  Baptist  church  super- 
seded the  traditions  in  such  matters,  sought  to  abate 
the  influence  of  the  noble  result  by  saying  that 
contributions  to  missions  were  increased  because 
the  two  churches  uniting  had  thereby  decreased 
their  current  expenses  and  so  had  more  to  give 
away.  On  the  contrary,  the  churches  had  united 
for  the  explicit  purpose  of  enlarging  their  work  in 
Worcester,  involving  an  increased  outlay.  They 
took  the  $75,000  which  their  two  meeting-houses 
brought,  put  $125fl00  more  with  it^  huilt  a  new 
house  of  fifty-five  rooms  (not  counting  thirty-one 
separate  class  rooms  and  corridors),  dedicating  the 
whole  with  the  entire  cost  provided  for.  Sometimes 
the  fuel  to  warm  this  great  Christian  workshop  a 
single  day  costs  twenty  dollars.  The  year  in  which 
the  new  meeting-house  was  dedicated,  with  the 
greatly  enlarged  cost  of  conducting  the  work,  ended 
with  a  balance  in  the  current  expense  treasury. 


294  Modern  Church  Finance 

Increase  in  heneficence  could  not  he  accounted  for 
hy  decrease  in  church  support.  How  would  it  do  to 
account  for  it  by  United  instead  of  Divided  Giv- 
ing ?  It  is  true  that  six  hundred  new  members 
joined  the  church  in  five  years  and  a  half  after  con- 
solidation. But  it  is  also  true  that  over  four  hun- 
dred passed  on  to  other  churches  and  to  the  church 
triumphant. 

There  was  one  vital  accompanhnent  of  United 
Giving — vital  to  am.y  plan  of  giving — incessant 
education.  The  plan  was  laid  before  every  mem- 
ber on  uniting  with  the  church.  Eight  to  ten 
explicit  missionary  meetings  were  held  every  month 
and  all  meetings  were  implicitly  missionary.  A 
hundred  times  a  year  in  public  worship  the  offerings 
were  made  with  prayer  for  the  elRciency  of  these 
offerings  in  bringing  the  kingdom  of  heaven  on  earth. 

When  a  thoroughgoing  method  of  united  budget 
has  worked  so  well  in  one  church  there  is  reason  to 
expect  that  even  the  conservative  measures  of  the 
whole  denomination  in  the  matter  of  united  budget 
will  work  untold  blessing  in  multitudes  of  churches. 
It  works  well  in  small  churches  as  well  as  large 
and  works  well  under  the  most  diverse  conditions. 

III.  Essentials  to  Success  With  This  Plan 
1.  Exceeding  wisdom  and  tact  and  patience  are 
essential  when  the  system  is  first  proposed  and  in- 
troduced. While  reminding  all  members  that  their 
first  duty  has  always  been  and  ought  to  be  to  the 
church,  do  not  arbitrarily  compel  any  society  to  ac- 


An  Ideal  Modern  Finance  System      295 

cept  the  plan.  Educate  and  persuade  them  to 
cheerful  and  loyal  cooperation  by  cogent  reasons, 
fair  treatment  and  a  voice  in  formulating  the  policy. 
Guarantee  them  enough  to  meet  all  their  regular 
annual  pledges  and  maintain  their  standing  as  com- 
pared with  similar  societies. 

2.  Give  each  society,  women  especially,  repre- 
sentation on  the  finance  committee  for  planning, 
raising  and  administering  the  budget,  so  that  the 
fullest  loyalty  and  enthusiasm  of  all  groups  will  be 
insured. 

3.  While  church  budgets,  like  family  budgets, 
should  be  standardized,  there  must  always  be  some 
freedom  for  spontaneous  action  both  in  the  church 
and  in  the  departments.  Allow  liberty  for  oc- 
casional supplemental  appeals,  as  for  earthquake  or 
war  relief,  the  anti-saloon  league  or  for  a  free-will 
emergency  or  sacrificial  appeal.  Also,  for  giving 
opportunity  for  strangers  and  non-pledgers  to  con- 
tribute to  benevolences. 

4.  Give  each  society  and  group  plenty  of  work 
to  do.  Such  women's  societies  as  have  done  nothing 
but  raise  money  tend  to  disintegrate  under  this 
system,  with  distinct  loss  to  the  church.  Prevent 
this.  Set  them  at  work  diligently  to  promote  the 
social  interests  of  the  women,  of  the  church  and  of 
the  other  societies  ;  to  conduct  church  or  neighbor- 
hood Bible  classes,  socials  and  prayer  groups ;  to 
arrange  literary  and  missionary  programs ;  to  sew 
for  the  hospitals ;  and  to  undertake  other  urgent 
but  neglected  Christian  tasks. 


296  Modern  Church  Finance 

5.  Guarantee  each  society,  from  the  benevolence 
budget,  at  least  as  much  as  it  has  been  raising  in 
pledges,  thank  offerings  and  collections,  provided 
the  amount  does  not  exceed  seventy-five  per  cent, 
of  the  pledges  given  by  its  members.  In  the 
Lafayette  Square  Church  of  Buffalo,  for  example, 
the  women  who  had  been  raising  $1,400  per  year 
for  benevolences  were  guaranteed  at  least  that 
much,  with  twenty-five  per  cent,  of  the  total 
budget  if  they  should  ever  prefer  that.  For  some 
time  they  received  no  increase  but  at  the  end  of 
ten  years  under  the  system,  the  cooperation  of  the 
women  in  an  aggressive  campaign  of  missionary 
and  stewardship  education  and  activity  had  in- 
creased the  church  budget  for  benevolences  to 
;^  12,000  so  that  the  women  received  ^$3,000  as  their 
twenty-five  per  cent.  Give  the  Sunday-school  five 
to  twenty  per  cent.,  women  fifteen  to  twenty-five 
per  cent.,  and  the  Young  People's  societies  from  two 
to  fifteen  per  cent.,  depending  on  their  strength 
and  efficiency.  Pay  the  money  to  their  respective 
treasurers  each  month. 

6.  Insure  that  benevolence  and  church  support 
funds  be  kept  absolutely  separate,  being  held  and 
paid  out  by  separate  treasurers. 

7.  Permit  and  expect  each  society  to  have  its 
own  treasurer  and  to  discuss  and  distribute  its  own 
budgets,  after  conference  with  the  Central  Finance 
Committee. 

8.  Expect  all  departments  to  cooperate  in  the 
program  of  missionary  and  stewardship  education 


An  Ideal  Modern  Finance  System      297 

and  in  promoting  the  annual  every  member  canvass, 
helping  to  enlist  all  their  members. 

9.  It  is  better  to  include  in  the  unified  plan  the 
first  year  only  one  department.  This  may  be  the 
Young  People,  better  still  the  Sunday-school,  so  as 
to  develop  experience  and  methods  which  shall 
serve  when  all  departments  are  included,  and  shall 
give  the  other  departments  time  to  become  ac- 
customed to  the  idea. 

10.  Allow  ample  time  for  each  society  to  dis- 
cuss the  plan  before  adopting  it.  Have  the  leaders 
of  each  society  present  the  matter  from  the  pulpit 
after  its  adoption  and  before  the  canvass. 

11.  Since  the  educational  activities  must  be 
more  systematic  and  persistent  than  under  the  old 
plan,  a  strong  "  stewardship  and  missions  "  com- 
mittee representing  all  departments  must  also  be 
appointed  to  carry  them  into  effect. 

12.  Give  each  department  an  adequate  income 
for  its  support  from  the  church  support  budget. 
Increase  the  Sunday-school  budget  rather  than  re- 
duce it.    (See  Chapter  XYIII.) 


XX 
The  Pew  Rent  System  of  Church  Finance 

THE  pew  rent  is  doomed,  both  because  it 
originated  with  the  Mediaeval  Eoman 
Church  and  is  un-Protestant,  and  because 
it  is  inefficient.  It  is  highly  desirable  that  families 
shall  have  regular  pews.  This  keeps  families  to- 
gether, encourages  regular  attendance,  and  enables 
the  minister  and  officers  to  note  at  a  glance  who 
are  present  and  who  are  absent.  Yet  this  is  just 
as  feasible  by  the  assigned  pew  system  as  by  the 
rental  system.  Churches  have  had  "  family  pews  " 
for  a  century  without  pew  rents. 

The  pew  rent  plan  is  rapidly  disappearing.  In 
the  denomination  to  which  the  writer  belongs, 
probably  half  the  churches  which  used  it  eight 
years  ago  have  since  abandoned  it  in  favor  of  the 
assigned  pew  plan  and  the  voluntary  weekly  pledge 
system.  Of  228  churches  in  Nebraska,  not  one 
retains  the  system.  In  Kansas,  not  over  three 
churches  out  of  300  use  it.  Even  in  'New  York  and 
the  other  largest  cities  it  is  dying. 

In  a  Pittsburgh  church  with  an  income  from  pews 
of  over  ;^1 5,000,  some  of  the  officers  were  certain 
it  was  "  folly  to  give  up  these  rentals  and  depend 

298 


The  Pew  Rent  System  of  Church  Finance  299 

on  voluntary  pledges."  The  first  year  saw  ;^1 9,000 
in  pledges  and  the  third  year  over  ;^23,000.  The 
total  for  support  advanced  to  over  ^25,000,  and  the 
benevolences  rose  from  ^9,000  to  ;^25,000  in  the 
three  years.  In  a  town  of  2,000  population  near 
Philadelphia,  a  church  increased  its  income  from 
;^  1,800  to  over  ^^4,000  and  trebled  its  benevolences 
by  abandoning  pew  rents  and  pushing  the  Every 
Member  Pledge  System.  A  IS'ew  York  church, 
which  "did  not  need  an  increased  income,  but 
changed  the  plan  for  the  sake  of  democracy,"  sur- 
prised the  trustees  by  an  increase  of  ^2,000  above 
the  ;^9,000  income  the  preceding  year,  while  be- 
nevolences increased  from  ^$3,000  to  ;^5,500. 

The  writer  hnows  of  not  a  single  church  out  of 
hundreds  with  which  he  has  come  in  touch  in  vari- 
ous denominations  where  the  "iVW  System'*''  was 
fairly  tried  which  has  gone  hach  to  pew  rentals. 
Of  the  scores  of  churches  where  he  has  helped  in 
the  educational  and  administrative  plans  connected 
with  the  change,  every  one  has  had  a  delightful 
story  to  tell  of  an  increase  of  from  twenty  to  one 
hundred  per  cent,  in  pledges  and  of  greater  har- 
mony and  general  efficiency. 

Indictments  Against  the  Pew  Rental 

System 
The  system  is  doomed  everywhere  because : 
It   is    unscripticral.     The    Apostle    James    ab- 
solutely forbade  the  early  church  to  give  a  seat  of 
honor  to  the  wearer  of  "  a  gold  ring  and  gay  ap- 


300  Modern  Church  Finance 

parel "  while  assigning  a  poor  seat  or  no  seat  to 
the  "  poor  man  in  vile  clothing."  The  pew  rent 
system  conflicts  with  the  spirit  of  Mark  xii.  44, 
where  Christ  declares  that  the  poor  widow  who 
cast  in  two  mites  which  meant  sacrifice  had  "  given 
more  than  they  all "  who  had  cast  in  large  gifts. 
Besides  it  tends  to  discourage  weekly  offerings. 

It  is  unspiritual.  The  Bible  teaches  that  giving 
is  worship.  The  pew  rent  system  contradicts  this. 
It  denies  worshippers  the  joy  of  offering  their  gifts 
to  God  and  impoverishes  the  church  service. 

It  is  unchristian.  It  denies  the  principles  of 
stewardship  and  implies  that  men  can  own  property 
as  against  God,  and  can  therefore  even  rent  or  own 
a  pew  in  God's  house.  The  support  of  God's 
churches  out  of  what  God  has  given  should  buy  no 
special  privileges.  Every  member  should  recognize 
that  his  seat  is  of  grace,  just  as  is  the  seat  of  any 
child  in  a  father's  house.  This  system  implies  that 
non-attendants  are  not  expected  to  give  and  are  in- 
truders. It  substitutes  the  caste  system  of  feu- 
dalism for  Christian  equality.  It  teaches  selfish- 
ness in  buying  a  seat  instead  of  giving  for  the  sake 
of  the  community.  It  ignores  the  command  that 
the  strong  ought  to  help  the  weak. 

It  is  immoral.  It  promotes  pride  and  caste.  It 
confuses  giving  and  buying.  It  belittles  God's 
house  to  buy  or  sell  a  seat  in  it,  or  to  put  a  cash 
value  on  spiritual  services.  It  sets  the  sacrificing 
widow  where  she  cannot  hear.  To  print  an  annual 
report  showing  what  each  one  gives  may  be  unwise 


The  Pew  Rent  System  of  Church  Finance  301 

but  it  is  wicked  to  show  it  throughout  the  church 
service  fifty-two  times  each  year. 

It  is  unwise.  It  keeps  strangers  away  because 
they  cannot  get  seats  until  after  the  service  is  be- 
gun and  drives  away  the  poor  who  do  not  like  to 
be  labelled  every  Sabbath  by  the  seats  they  occupy. 
It  permits  the  pew  owner  to  frown  on  the  stranger 
who  by  chance  occupies  his  seat.  It  subsidizes  race 
suicide,  penalizes  the  father  of  a  large  family,  and 
keeps  children  away  from  God's  house. 

It  is  un-American  and  undemo(yratic.  It  gives 
the  rich  credit  without  regard  to  the  sacrifices 
made.  It  publicly  labels  the  financially  unsuccess- 
ful and  unfortunate  by  where  they  sit. 

It  is  unbusinesslike.  It  does  not  look  ahead.  It 
encourages  neither  strangers  nor  children  to  attend, 
nor  does  it  teach  them  to  give  systematically.  This 
is  suicidal.  Hundreds  of  thousands  of  members 
and  millions  in  money  have  thus  been  lost  to  pew- 
renting  churches. 

It  is  unsuccessful.  Ninety-five  per  cent,  of  the 
churches  which  use  it  must  resort  to  supplemental 
methods  to  secure  sufficient  income  for  their  sup- 
port. As  the  cost  of  living  and  the  ability  to  give 
increase,  it  is  harder  to  increase  rentals  than  to 
increase  pledges.  It  permits  sons  and  daughters 
with  means  to  sit  in  their  fathers'  pews  without 
paying  a  cent.  People  will  be  far  more  liberal 
when  they  give  to  God,  to  support  the  gospel,  to  a 
community  enterprise,  than  for  a  pew.  Constant 
experience  demonstrates  this,  all  theories  to  the 


302  Modern  Church  Finance 

contrary.  A  Brooklyn  man  who  paid  fifty  dollars 
pew  rent  immediately  pledged  ten  dollars  a  week 
for  the  work  of  the  church  under  the  new  plan. 

A  Chicago  church  with  a  budget  of  ^14,000, 
which  was  insufficient,  and  a  pew  rental  of  only 
^10,000,  decided  to  increase  their  pew  rents  to 
$16fi00.  When  a  trustee,  a  prominent  banker, 
corresponded  with  other  churches  in  the  city  to 
learn  how  they  succeeded  in  raising  pew  rents  to 
the  point  where  the  entire  income  would  be  pro- 
vided, he  was  surprised  to  learn  that  not  one  of  the 
fifteen  pew-renting  churches  approached  was  able 
to  secure  all  its  income  by  this  method  alone  with- 
out a  supplemental  financial  plan.  A  church  offi- 
cer in  Kochester  and  another  in  Baltimore  discov- 
ered the  same  facts  in  their  cities. 

Of  course  many  churches  have  abandoned  the 
pew  rent  system  in  fact,  and  assign  sittings  with- 
out regard  to  the  amount  paid.  Such  churches 
should  cease  to  speak  of  pew  rents  and  gain  the  ad- 
ditional benefits  of  being  known  as  free  pew  or  as- 
signed pew  churches. 

Wheee  Pew  Rents  are  Advisable 
Under  only  two  conditions  are  pew  rents  ad- 
visable. First,  in  churches  which  are  overcrowded 
and  wish  to  keep  people  out.  The  pastor  of  a 
large  down-town  church  declares,  "  We  are  dis- 
turbed by  hundreds  of  people  who  live,  and  send 
their  children  to  Sabbath-school,  in  the  suburbs  but 
who   prefer   to  come  down-town,  enjoy  the  good 


The  Pew  Rent  System  of  Church  Finance  303 

music  and  sermons,  and  pay  as  little  as  they  can. 
To  compel  these  people  to  attend  and  help  support 
the  churches  m  their  own  communities  where  their 
energies  and  money  are  needed,  we  refuse  to  rent 
pews  to  such  under  ordinary  conditions.  Since 
they  must  wait  until  the  end  of  the  first  hymn  for 
seats  and  families  can  seldom  sit  together,  our  plan 
is  successful.  We  have  a  few  special  pews  for 
strangers  who  really  deserve  seats." 

Second,  pew  rents  are  desirable  in  exclusive 
churches  which  lack  spirituality,  which  wish  to 
assume  the  character  of  the  Grand  Opera  or  of  a 
social  club  rather  than  of  a  Christian  brotherhood, 
which  desire  exhibits  of  jewels  and  wealth  rather 
than  that  simple  and  worshipful  conditions  which 
live  for  themselves  and  have  no  Christlike  concern 
for  the  world  or  the  community. 

Problems  in  Abandoning  the  System 
Special  objections  and  problems  are  involved  in 
abandoning  the  pew  rent  system,  especially  where 
traditions  govern  largely. 

Educate  the  ofiicers  first.  In  a  large  Eochester 
church,  the  forty-two  members  of  the  ofiicial 
boards,  after  a  careful  investigation  and  consider- 
able conference,  unanimously  agreed  not  only  to 
recommend  the  abolition  of  the  system  but  to  abide 
by  the  new  system  themselves.  Only  one  church 
member  refused  to  acquiesce.  Those  who  posi- 
tively refuse  to  accept  the  system — who  threaten 
to  leave  the  church — will  always  be  very  rare,  if 


304  Modem  Church  Finance 

any  exist  where  the  change  is  wisely  prepared  for. 
They  should  be  educated  by  kindly  personal  visits. 
They  may  be  permitted  to  hold  their  pews  and  pay 
rent  as  before  if  their  prejudice  maintains.  In  a 
Philadelphia  church  of  1,000  members,  of  about 
twenty  families  who  were  dissatisfied  with  and  sus- 
picious of  the  new  system,  and  who  were  permitted 
to  send  checks  marked  "  Pew  Kent "  as  before,  all 
but  four  consented  to  accept  the  new  system  within 
three  years,  as  they  saw  how  well  it  worked. 

So  far  as  they  desire,  pews  will  be  assigned  to 
the  families  who  have  hitherto  rented  them.  Many 
such  families  will  give  up  half  of  their  present  pew 
space,  which  they  seldom  occupy.  Some  will  emu- 
late the  Philadelphia  trustee  who  paid  the  highest 
rental  in  the  church,  but  favored  the  adoption  of 
this  system  and  took  an  undesirable  pew  under  the 
gallery  because  "  I  am  frequently  absent  or  tardy 
and  I  have  long  wished  I  might  sit  where  I  was 
not  so  conspicuous." 

The  ushers  will  hold  the  pews  for  those  who  are 
regular,  at  least  until  a  certain  point  in  the  service, 
unless  notified  by  telephone  or  otherwise  that  they 
will  not  be  present,  but  people  will  gradually  gain 
the  democratic  spirit  and  will  be  less  resentful  if, 
by  chance,  their  assigned  seats  be  occupied. 

As  front  pews  become  vacant  by  removals  or 
consolidations,  they  are  reassigned  to  the  deaf  or 
the  spiritually-minded  or  those  who  are  prompt  and 
regular  according  to  the  wisdom  of  the  officers. 
There  will  be  little  trouble  since  the  usual  compe- 


The  Pew  Rent  System  of  Church  Finance  305 

tition  for  central  pews  is  not  for  practical  reasons, 
but  because  of  the  caste  spirit.  When  pews  cease 
to  bear  price  marks,  the  hard  and  fast  line  between 
desirable  and  undesirabfe  pews  will  disappear. 

Of  course,  a  thorough  educational  campaign  as 
to  stewardship,  etc.,  as  outlined  elsewhere,  by- 
means  of  letters,  sermons,  pamphlets  and  a  per- 
sonal visitation,  is  absolutely  essential.  Expert  aid 
should  be  secured. 


XXI 

Buildings    and   Improvements,  Debts    and 
Deficits,  and  How  to  Finance  Them 

1.    The  Peesent  Pressing  Need 

WHEN  congregations  were  small  and  poor, 
having  only  twenty-five  or  fifty  mem- 
bers, who  lived  in  log  houses,  there  was 
little  need  of  a  study  of  how  to  finance  church 
buildings.  Most  folks  had  incomes  under  fifty  or 
seventy-five  cents  a  day,  all  their  tastes  were  simple 
and  their  interests  few,  cities  grew  slowly  and 
communities  were  more  stable,  Sunday-schools  were 
eyed  askance  and  churches  had  not  yet  discovered 
their  duty  to  help  meet  the  social  needs  of  their 
members  and  their  communities,  so  that  it  was  only 
necessary  to  gather  the  members  for  a  few  days  to 
hew  logs  and  erect  a  rude  church. 

But  times  have  changed  and  conditions  have  been 
revolutionized.  The  membership  of  the  average 
church  has  increased  from  five  to  fifty  fold,  indi- 
vidual incomes  have  increased  likewise,  log  houses 
have  given  way  to  homes  costing  from  ;^2,000  to 
;^10,000,  and  attractive  schools  and  civic  buildings 
are  found  everywhere.  We  have  discovered  that 
church  architecture  ministers  to  spiritual  devotion 
306 


Buildings  and  Debts  307 

and  helps  the  church  to  maintain  its  proper  com- 
munity standing.  Sunday-schools  are  now  recog- 
nized as  indispensable  and  as  institutions  whose 
efficiency  depends  upon  special  buildings  and  upon 
separate  department  and  class  rooms.  Both  rural 
and  city  churches  are  awaking  to  the  necessity  of 
definite  provision  for  social  ministries,  not  only  for 
the  sake  of  holding  their  members  and  gaining 
others  but  in  order  to  fulfill  the  Scriptural  ideals. 

Thousands  of  churches  are  thus  compelled  to 
face  the  need  of  modern  buildings,  enlargements, 
parish  houses,  etc.,  to  accommodate  their  growing 
constituencies.  Many  which  have  stagnated  are 
recognizing  that  a  chief  cause  of  their  restricted 
growth  and  usefulness  is  the  inadequacy  of  their 
plans,  and  are  preparing  to  reconstruct  and  equip 
themselves  for  modern  educational  and  social  ac- 
tivities. Building  debts  and  accumulated  deficits 
are  as  millstones  to  thousands  of  congregations 
which  must  either  make  superhuman  efforts  to  re- 
move them  or  die.  A  manse  or  parsonage  is  also 
recognized  to  be  indispensable  for  any  church  which 
seeks  competent  and  permanent  ministers. 

In  one  religious  body,  the  Disciples,  the  society 
which  aids  in  building  mission  churches  has  in- 
creased its  average  grant  from  ;$300  in  1890  to 
;^2,600  in  1915,  and  "the  church  in  the  modern 
building  grows  so  much  faster  that  it  is  easier  to 
return  the  larger  loan." 

The  science  of  financing  church  buildings  and 
special  funds  is  too  broad  to  cover  here,  but  a  few 


3o8  Modem  Church  Finance 

fundamental  suggestions  will  be  helpful  to  count- 
less pastors  and  church  officers. 

2.    Some  Points  About  Church  Building 

Kemember  that  a  House  of  God,  the  community 
home  for  God's  children,  should  be,  both  inside  and 
outside,  at  least  as  attractive  to  strangers  and  the 
young  people,  and  as  up  to  date  in  equipment,  as 
the  homes  and  schools  of  the  community. 

Kemember  that  while  the  architecture  should  be 
artistic  and  churchly,  churches  should  be  built  pri- 
marily for  utility  rather  than  "to  ornament  the 
city."  Acoustics  and  convenience  must  prevail,  for 
education  and  worship  are  primary.  While  there 
are  so  many  urgent  demands  for  funds  for  Chris- 
tian work,  intelligent  Christian  stewardship  will 
squander  little  on  inlaid  wainscotings  and  marble 
pillars.  Genuine  walnut  is  desirable,  but  the  Mas- 
ter would  be  better  pleased  with  a  genuine  spirit 
of  Christianity  manifested  by  sacrificial  gifts  to 
missions.  Architecture  should  magnify  simplicity 
and  the  simple  life,  rather  than  encourage  garish 
materialism  and  ostentation. 

Balance  expenditures  with  wisdom.  Choose  a 
modern  Sunday-school  plant  rather  than  extensive 
towers  and  art  windows  if  both  are  impossible. 
Do  not  yield  to  whims  and  cranks. 

Consider  the  probable  needs  of  the  community 
for  the  next  ten  or  twenty  years.  Use  foresight. 
Many  edifices  costing  from  ^50,000  to  ;^500,000 
have  been  abandoned  or  removed  within  a  score  of 


Buildings  and  Debts  309 

years  because  the  people  for  whom  they  were 
erected  gave  way  to  apartment  houses  or  foreign 
speaking  folks,  requiring  different  methods. 

Don't  try  to  build  for  future  generations.  They 
will  be  amply  able  to  build  for  themselves  and  we 
cannot  anticipate  their  needs.  Religious  education, 
church  union,  and  many  other  tendencies  will  com- 
pel new  architectural  plans.  As  mediasval  cathe- 
drals are  practically  worthless  for  modern  religious 
uses,  so  thousands  of  churches  built  in  the  present 
generation  at  great  cost  to  stand  indefinitely  will 
be  torn  down  by  the  next  generation. 

Choose  the  location  carefully.  Build  only  a 
chapel  or  basement  now  if  necessary,  but  secure  a 
strategic  site  at  any  cost.  It  should  be  ample  for 
future  needs,  a  block  if  possible.  Secure  a  corner 
but  avoid  street-car  interruptions.  Locate  in  a  future 
center  of  population  rather  than  in  a  receding  com- 
munity. If  several  sites  are  proposed,  secure  "  the 
peace  of  Jerusalem  "  by  many  prayer-meetings  and 
by  using  outside  arbitrators  if  necessary. 

Have  a  committee  to  prepare  tentative  plans  and 
drawings.  Have  the  matter  fully  discussed  in  con- 
gregational meetings.  To  insure  universal  loyalty, 
have  a  large  advisory  committee  representing  all 
the  departments  and  groups  but  appoint  small  ex- 
ecutive committees  of  competent  business  men  on 
plans,  on  building,  and  on  finance,  in  order  to  in- 
sure efficiency.  Adopt  specific  legal  instructions 
to  the  committees,  as  to  cost,  modifications  of 
plans,  etc. 


310  Modem  Church  Finance 

Don't  build  until  a  large  majority  of  the  active 
members  are  in  sympathy  with  the  move.  Win 
them  by  intelligent  agitation  and  patient  effort. 
Convert  the  key  men  and  women  by  personal  work, 
using  teams  of  the  bell-sheep  of  the  flock. 

Prove  the  need  of  a  building  campaign  by  an  at- 
tendance and  membership  campaign  for  the  church 
and  all  departments.  Photos  or  lantern  slides  show- 
ing club  rooms  crowded  with  girls  or  a  furnace 
room  packed  with  boys  are  the  best  arguments  for 
action.  A  revival  of  spirituality  and  a  series  of 
addresses  by  specialists  on  the  ideals  and  duties  of 
modern  Christianity  will  be  worth  fifty  times  the 
expense  by  securing  increased  vision  and  liberality. 

While  over- building  is  wrong,  petty  plans  and 
miserliness  are  often  worse.  "Where  your  treas- 
ure is,  there  will  your  heart  be,"  applies  to  church 
buildings.  Sacrifices  must  be  expected  and  secured 
from  every  member  in  order  to  insure  their  larger 
interest  and  permanent  loyalty.  In  a  building  re- 
ceived as  a  gift,  a  congregation  is  seldom  as  suc- 
cessful as  in  one  it  has  sacrificed  for. 

Take  plenty  of  time  to  consider  the  matter  from 
all  sides.  Procrastination  is  sin  and  needs  should 
be  met  as  soon  as  possible,  yet  action  without  due 
consideration  often  results  in  disaster  which  may 
be  criminal.  Can  you  economize  by  remodelling  ? 
Is  the  old  plant  in  such  shape  that  repairs  would 
be  as  foolish  as  an  expensive  patch  on  an  old  gar- 
ment ?  Do  you  need  a  parish  house,  gymnasium, 
etc.,  or  are  such  needs  met  by  the  schools  or  the 


Buildings  and  Debts  31 1 

Y.  M.  C.  A.  ?  What  sort  of  building  material  shall 
be  used  ?  Will  frame  or  brick  suffice  until  rebuild- 
ing is  necessary  ?  Could  consolidation  be  effected 
with  another  church  for  economy  and  efficiency,  or 
could  a  community  or  parish  house  be  built  and 
the  athletic  director  supported  jointly  ? 

Do  Hot  underestimate  the  cost.  Include  every 
foreseen  item  and  add  fifteen  or  twenty-five  per 
cent,  to  the  estimates  to  cover  shrinkage  in  pledges 
and  unexpected  needs,  and  remember  that  the  new 
plant  will  add  from  twenty-five  to  one  hundred 
per  cent,  to  the  expenses  for  janitor,  heat,  lights  etc. 

Don't  go  in  debt  too  far.  A  beautiful  church 
may  attract  folks  but  a  debt  is  more  likely  to  repel 
them.  Sometimes,  in  a  rapidly  growing  community, 
or  with  a  specially  successful  pastor  who  will  prom- 
ise to  stay  until  the  debt  is  raised,  a  church  is  justi- 
fied in  building  to  twice  what  it  can  secure  in 
immediate  subscriptions.  But  many  a  church,  hav- 
ing over-built  or  under-financed,  has  utterly  failed 
of  its  Christian  usefulness,  has  lost  its  spirituality 
and  its  property.  A  ^60,000  property  on  which 
;^4:0,000  had  been  paid  in  interest  and  ;^42,000  on 
the  principal  was  recently  sold  to  pay  a  mortgage 
of  ;^  18,000,  and  the  congregation  disbanded. 

Don't  wait  for  unanimous  consent.  Some  will 
always  weep  for  ''  the  old  church  which  we  love  so 
dearly  "  when  the  tears  are  rather  for  the  cost.  Be 
patient  but  proceed.  A  few  must  not  block  King- 
dom Progress.  Tactfully  show  the  minority  that 
they  should  cooperate  with  the  majority. 


312  Modern  Church  Finance 

If  the  cost  of  the  plant  is  beyond  present  ability, 
build  the  Sunday-school  and  parish  house  section, 
and  get  it  paid  for  first.  This  will  meet  the  imme- 
diate need,  secure  the  favor  of  the  community  and 
increase  the  constituency  more  rapidly  so  as  to 
secure  the  funds  for  completing  the  plant.  A  well 
filled  chapel  impresses  strangers  more  than  a  large 
auditorium  sparsely  filled. 

Insure  that  details  are  looked  after ;  room  for  a 
chorus  choir,  indirect  lighting  and  a  harmonious 
color  scheme,  economical  and  efiicient  systems  for 
heat  and  ventilation,  comfortable  pews,  arrange- 
ments for  adding  the  Sunday-school  room  to  the 
auditorium  for  special  occasions,  a  high  and  well 
lighted  basement,  a  large  and  "  friendly  "  vestibule, 
lavatories,  a  pastor's  study,  social  and  club  rooms, 
kitchen  and  dining-rooms,  etc. 

A  "  dedicator,"  Kev.  George  L.  Snively,  suggests : 

"  Do  not  begin  building  until  half  the  cost  is 
covered  by  pledges,  to  be  paid — one-third  when 
the  contractor's  bond  is  filed,  one-third  when  the 
corner-stone  is  laid,  and  the  balance  when  the  roof 
is  spread. 

"  If  the  total  cost  is  not  provided  in  advance, 
prominent  members  must  make  their  preliminary 
pledges  with  the  understanding  that  they  will 
make  inspirational  pledges  on  dedication  day. 
When  such  final  appeal  is  made,  the  people  will 
remain  silent  till  the  familiar  voices  of  their  leaders 
are  heard,  giving  so  as  to  make  themselves  poor 
rather  than  have  their  Lord  humiliated  by  an  in- 


Buildings  and  Debts  313 

adequate  treasury  in  the  presence  of  Canaanite  and 
Perizzite.  I  hesitate  to  say  that  dedication  tri- 
umphs are  not  achieved  by  the  *  countless  small 
gifts  of  the  crowd  '  but  rather  by  the  large  gifts  of 
a  determined  few.  The  first  seven  gifts  average 
fifty  per  cent,  or  more  of  all  that  is  given  on  dedi- 
cation day.  Many  heart-breaking  dedication  day 
failures  will  be  averted  if  church  leaders  will  re- 
member this  when  making  preliminary  pledges. 

"  Except  in  very  rare  instances,  I  regard  three 
years  as  the  maximum  time  on  which  final  pledges 
should  be  taken.  After  that,  the  debt,  if  any, 
should  be  borne  by  individuals  and  not  by  the 
building. 

"  All  pledges  should  be  negotiable  notes,  to  serve 
as  collateral  at  the  banks. 

"Do  not  consider  the  church  debt  paid  when 
merely  pledged.  We  should  build  so  well  as  to 
justify  pledging  our  future  income  for  payment 
for  proper  dignity  of  structure  and  efficiency  of 
equipment. 

"It  is  very  gracious  in  all  who  can  possibly  do 
so  to  borrow,  if  necessary,  the  amount  of  their 
pledge  at  the  bank,  in  order  to  cancel  the  church 
pledge,  since  a  long  standing  debt,  right  or  wrong, 
greatly  cheapens  the  church  in  the  estimate  of  the 
public." 

Successful  Financial  Methods 
Obtain  some  liberal  initial  pledges  to  arouse  in- 
terest and  emulation.     Of  three  pledges  of  ;^25,000 


314  Modern  Church  Finance 

each,  secured  by  a  Syracuse  church,  one  man  gave 
half  his  property,  another  one-fifth  and  another 
about  one-tenth.  Of  course,  these  folks  had  re- 
ceived a  most  inspiring  vision  of  the  service  the 
church  would  actually  render  and  of  the  suprem- 
acy of  spiritual  things.  Usually  some  one  will 
pledge  "  ten  per  cent,  of  the  total  cost  not  to  ex- 
ceed   "  or  five  men  will  each  pledge  Rye  per 

cent,  of  the  total  to  be  raised.  Sometimes  money 
is  accumulated  for  two  or  three  years  before  build- 
ing is  begun. 

In  one  case,  a  woman  gave  her  entire  estate  of 
114:0,000  on  condition  that  she  receive  two  per 
cent,  interest  for  life  and  that  the  cost  be  at  least 
;^100,000.  To  start  an  ;^80,000  building,  a  deacon 
gave  a  mortgage  of  ;^30,000  payable  out  of  his 
estate  at  death,  bearing  four  per  cent,  interest 
meantime.  All  churches  should  be  worthy  of  and 
should  hope  for  such  sacrificial  loyalty. 

If  feasible,  secure  pledges  to  cover  the  entire 
cost  before  building  is  begun.  If  possible,  all 
pledges  should  be  payable  within  six  or  twelve 
months,  but  among  poor  folks  or  in  a  new  com- 
munity where  many  are  paying  for  their  homes, 
from  two  to  four  years'  time  will  be  wise. 

Prepare  for  any  special  financial  canvass  by  a 
social  and  visitation  campaign,  boosting  the  church 
and  its  policies  to  the  utmost,  urging  the  pre- 
eminence of  religion,  promoting  harmony  and 
loyalty  and  holding  district  and  congregational 
suppers  and  prayer  groups. 


Buildings  and  Debts  315 

Secure  the  aid  of  a  specialist  to  awaken  the 
members  to  a  larger  policy,  to  inspire  to  larger 
visions  and  sacrifices,  and  to  organize  and  conduct 
the  preliminary  canvass.  An  efficiency  expert 
should  bring  help  worth  from  twenty  to  fifty 
times  the  cost  in  analyzing  the  field  and  the  future, 
in  arousing  enthusiasm,  in  securing  harmonious  ac- 
tion and  liberal  pledges. 

Secure  an  architect  experienced  in  church  build- 
ing. This  will  be  economical  in  the  end.  Other- 
wise serious  acoustical  and  other  blunders,  and 
wasted  funds,  are  almost  certain. 

Wliile  it  is  poor  policy  to  solicit  aid  from  mem- 
bers of  other  churches  who  have  their  needs  to 
meet,  do  not  hesitate  to  solicit  the  unchurched  folk 
of  the  community.  If  they  invest  something  in  the 
building,  they  will  be  more  likely  to  attend  to  get 
their  money's  worth.  Money-making  suppers  and 
bazaars,  if  they  are  ever  permissible,  are  most  valu- 
able when  used  to  arouse  the  interest  of  the  un- 
churched in  the  building. 

Old  debts  or  accumulated  deficits  are  harder  to 
raise  than  building  funds.  They  may  simply  be 
added  to  the  annual  budget,  all  in  one  year  or 
through  a  period  of  years.  But  such  a  method 
interferes  with  the  proper  increase  of  the  budget, 
so  that  it  is  better  to  raise  it  if  possible  by  a  special 
campaign,  at  least  three  or  four  months  before  the 
regular  annual  canvass.  Give  emphatic  warning 
that  all  current  expense  subscriptions  must  be 
maintained  in  any  case,  and  add  ten  or  twenty 


316  Modern  Church  Finance 

per  cent,  to  the  amount  asked  to  prevent  any  pos- 
sibility of  recurrence.  Sometimes  a  special  sacri- 
ficial debt  reduction  appeal  is  made  at  Thanks- 
giving or  Christmas  each  year. 

Secure  pledges  by  a  personal  canvass,  the  solic- 
itors being  carefully  trained  and  working  in  teams 
of  three  or  four,  after  gum-shoe  work  by  the  pastor 
or  committee  has  secured  the  leading  pledges. 
Sometimes  two  or  three  visits  are  necessary.  (See 
helpful  points  in  Chapters  YI-IX.) 

Apportion  the  amount  to  be  raised, — so  many  at 
^1,000,  so  many  at  ^^500,  etc.  If  you  cannot  ap- 
portion it  in  advance,  you  will  have  trouble  in 
raising  it.  Sometimes  the  apportionments  are 
publicly  announced.  At  other  times,  they  are 
brought  to  each  individual  by  the  canvassers. 

Divide  the  amount  to  be  raised  into  convenient 
shares.  Among  poor  people,  these  should  be  on 
the  weekly  basis.  Twelve  thousand  dollars  can  be 
divided  into  three  hundred  shares  of  one  dollar  per 
month  for  forty  months,  one  thousand  shares  of 
fifty  cents  per  month  for  twenty-four  months,  or 
eight  hundred  shares  of  ten  cents  per  week  for 
three  years.  Even  the  poorest  will  then  be  able  to 
take  a  share. 

To  raise  money  at  a  public  service  is  an  art.  Use 
a  graphic  chart  or  device  by  which  the  whole 
amount  can  be  displayed  in  bricks  or  squares  on  a 
blackboard,  to  be  crossed  out  or  filled  as  pledges 
are  announced.  Of  course,  one-third  or  one-half 
should  be  covered  by  secret  advance  pledges  to  be 


Buildings  and  Debts  317 

announced  publicly  at  psychological  moments,  one 
by  one,  to  quicken  enthusiasm  and  arouse  other 
pledges.  Station  ushers  through  the  house  to  re- 
ceive pledges  as  signed  and  to  call  out  the  amounts 
for  the  sake  of  the  audience,  the  tabulating  clerks 
and  the  chairman  at  the  blackboard.  Usually  the 
names  are  not  announced,  but  sometimes  subscribers 
are  asked  to  rise  and  announce  their  own  subscrip- 
tions. Keduce  the  general  total,  if  feasible,  by  se- 
curing special  gifts  for  windows,  furniture,  bell, 
baptistry,  pulpit,  etc. 

Do  not  injure  the  spiritual  life  of  the  church  or 
its  reputation  by  using  questionable  methods,  such 
as  to  "  lock  the  door  and  let  no  one  go  out  until  the 
full  amount  is  pledged,"  etc.  Appeal  rather  to 
spiritual  motives  and  Christian  loyalty.  Too  much 
pressure  may  overload  members  and  drive  from 
the  church.  Hold  all  members  to  one  form  of 
pledge  as  far  as  possible. 

Building  pledges  are  commonly  made  in  the 
form  of  bonds  bearing  interest  at  six  per  cent,  from 
date  or  from  the  final  settlement  with  the  con- 
tractor, thus  reducing  to  a  minimum  the  danger  of 
a  final  shortage.  A  ^500  five  year  subscription 
would  be  made  in  five  coupons ;  the  first,  to  include 
interest  on  ;$400  for  the  year,  would  be  ^124,  the 
second  ^118,  etc. 

Payments  may  be  made  either  through  special 
monthly  envelopes,  or  by  using  one  end  of  the 
weekly  duplex  envelope. 

It  is  best  to  use  a  specially  printed  monthly  en- 


318  Modem  Church  Finance 

velope  of  a  special  color.     Print  on  it  the  pay- 
ments : 


The  amounts  per  share  per  month  are  as  follows : 

Ist  year,  Principal  $1.00  Interest  15  cts.  Payments  $1.15 
2nd  year,        "  1.00        '*         9  cts.  ♦'  1.09 

3d  year,  "  1.00       "         Sets.  "  1.03 

Please  pay  on  the  above  basis  for  convenience. 


Keport  payments  on  debt  and  collect  arrears,  as 
suggested  elsewhere  for  church  support. 

If  collections  are  difficult,  arrange  for  a  bank  to 
collect  arrears  after  a  certain  date,  on  a  five  per 
cent,  commission. 

Be  sure  all  contracts  are  in  legal  form  so  that  no 
loopholes  are  left  permitting  of  delay,  or  of  in- 
creased expense.     Watch  the  builder  carefully. 

No  matter  how  heavily  burdened  with  debt  or 
building  pledges,  it  is  suicidal  to  neglect  missions. 
While  such  gifts  need  not  be  large,  the  spiritual 
growth  of  the  members  and  their  loyalty  to  their 
own  church  can  be  maintained  in  the  fullest  degree 
only  by  educating  them  as  to  missionary  goals  and 
opportunities  and  giving  them  occasional  opportu- 
nities for  sacrificial  oiferings. 

SUBSCEIPTION  FOEMS 

No  single  form  is  necessary  to  render  a  subscrip- 
tion legal.     Here  are  some  forms  : 

"  We,  the  undersigned,  members  and  friends  of 
Trinity  Lutheran  Church,  do  hereby  subscribe  and 


Buildings  and  Debts  31 9 

agree  to  pay  the  amounts  set  opposite  our  respect- 
ive names,  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  new 
church  edifice,  the  same  to  be  constructed  of  brick, 
the  cost,  when  completed,  not  to  exceed  ;^35,000 
(half  or)  all  of  which  shall  be  subscribed  and  one- 
half  paid  into  the  hands  of  the  trustees  before  the 
contracts  shall  be  awarded  or  the  work  begun. 
The  amounts  of  the  various  subscriptions  are  to  be 
paid  to  the  trustees  in  two  equal  installments.  The 
first  installment  shall  be  payable  as  soon  as  the  en- 
tire amount  necessary  shall  have  been  subscribed, 
and  the  second  installment  six  months  thereafter. 
Should  the  conditions  stated  above  not  be  complied 
with,  the  various  subscriptions  shall  t)e  null  and 
void." 


For  a  small  amount :  "  We,  the  undersigned, 
severally  agree  to  pay  to  the  treasurer  of  the  First 
Baptist  Church  the  sums  set  opposite  our  respective 
names  for  the  purpose  of  liquidating  the  debt  and 
paying  the  mortgage  upon  the  parsonage  of  said 
church,  one-half  on  demand,  and  the  balance  six 
months  after  the  demand  for  the  first  payment." 


For  the  erection  of  a  Sunday-school  plant  for 
the Church,  to  cost  not  less  than  ;^4:0,000 : 

I,   the  undersigned,   subscribe  for  shares, 

each  share  being  for  one  dollar  per  month  for  sixty 


320  Modem  Church  Finance 

months,  and  to  pay  the  same  semi-annually  m  ad- 
vance, or  in  monthly  envelopes,  with  interest  at  six 
per  cent,  on  the  amounts  unpaid.  This  pledge  to 
be  void  unless  ^40,000  is  pledged  before  Jan.  1, 
1917. 
Date Signed 


For  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  more  commodious 

and    convenient  House  of  Worship  for  the  

Church  of  Areola,  Illinois,  provided  this  is  done  dur- 
ing the  year  1909,  I,  the  undersigned,  promise  to  pay 

the  sum  of ^- Dollars, 

in  payments  as  follows  : 

Fifty  per  cent,  upon  the  laying  of  the  Corner 
Stone, 

Twenty-five  per  cent,  when  the  building  is  in- 
closed, and  the  final  twenty-five  per  cent,  when  the 
building  is  ready  for  the  decorators. 

Signed Date . 

Canvasser : 

I  hereby  promise  to  pay  to  the  Trustees  of  the 
Church  of  Greenfield,  Ohio,  or  order, 


per  cent,  of  whatever  portion  of  the  Church 

Debt  of  $20,000.00  may  be  subscribed. 

I  further  agree  that  the  said  Trustees  may  make 
demand  on  me  hereafter,  on  the  first  days  of  April, 
July,  October  and  January,  in  each  year,  for  such 
portion  of  my  subscription  as  may  be  due  at  any 
specified  time,  according  to  the  proportion  of  the 
$20,000.00  which  may  have  then  been  subscribed, 
until  my  subscription  is  paid  in  full. 

And  I  further  agree  that  on  any  payments  which  I 


Buildings  and  Debts  321 

may  choose  to  defer  I  will  pay  six  per  cent,  interest 
per  annum  until  said  payments  are  paid. 


Payable  at Bank. 


Church  Debt  and  Building  Fund 

I  hereby  subscribe  the  sum  of  $ towards  the  liquida- 
tion of  the  mortgage  of  36,ooo  upon  the Church  of 

Battle  Creek,  it  being  understood  that  all  which  is  raised  above  that 
amount  shall  be  put  into  a  Church  Building  Fund. 

I  desire  payments  to  be  on  the  following  dates  and  in  the  follow- 
ing amounts,  the  final  payment  being  payable  on  or  before  Feb- 
ruary I,  1 9 17,  when  the  mortgage  becomes  due. 

AUG.  1,  1915,  $ AUG.  1,  1916,  $ 

NOV.  1,  1915,  $ NOV.  1,  1916,  $ 

FEB.  1,  1916,  $ FEB.  1,  1917,  % 

MAY  I,  1916,  $ $ 

Name 

Date Address — 


"77i#  Entire  Amount  Subscribed  before  June  /,  iqij.'' 


For  the  purpose  of  providing  for  the  total  indebt- 
edness of  the Church  of  Beloit,  Wis., 

and  in  consideration  of  the  subscriptions  of  others,  I 
hereby  agree  to  pay  to  the  Trustees  of  said  Church 

the  sum  of DOLLAES 

upon   condition   that  the  whole  indebtedness,  $17,- 
300.00,  be  secured  for  the  above  named  purpose  by 


322  Modern  Church  Finance 

Dec.  31st,  191  .  When  the  above  condition  is  met, 
one-third  of  this  subscription  is  due  and  payable,  and 
one-third  is  payable  annually  thereafter  with  interest 
at  five  per  cent,  per  annum  from  Dec.  31st,  191  . 

(Signed) 


Address. 
Solicited  by  — 


XXII 
Legacies  and  Church  Endowments 

ALMOST  every  church  has  members  who,  in 
addition  to  giving  a  share  of  their  income, 
should  dedicate  much  or  most  of  their 
capital  to  Christian  purposes.  In  comparison  with 
their  ancestors,  they  have  prospered  miraculously. 
Their  legal  heirs  do  not  need  all  their  possessions 
or  would  not  use  them  to  good  advantage. 

No  preceding  generation  has  had,  and  none  will 
ever  have  in  the  future,  such  opportunities  for 
exploiting  natural  resources  and  accumulating  a 
surplus  by  the  rise  in  land  values,  etc.  They  must 
be  made  to  realize  this  fact. 

Their  great  prosperity  is  largely  due  to  the 
providence  of  God  and  should  be  gratefully  used 
to  promote  the  divine  purposes.  In  these  days 
when  Christian  agencies  need  such  unlimited  in- 
creases in  income, — when  such  unprecedented  op- 
portunities exist  for  dividend  paying  investments 
for  God  and  humanity — the  most  intelligent  and 
tactful  effort  should  be  made  to  induce  such  persons 
to  recognize  their  stewardship  and  perpetuate  their 
service  by  liberal  gifts  to  Kingdom  work,  for 
spiritual  and  social  purposes. 

323 


324  Modern  Church  Finance 

Legacies 

It  is  only  natural  that  heirs  are  usually  opposed 
to  such  legacies  for  "  we  want  all  that  is  coming  to 
us "  is  the  natural  expression  of  an  unregenerate 
heart  which  seeks  possessions  without  labor.  True, 
wives  and  children  should  be  provided  for.  The 
wife  is  a  partner  and  should  have  a  partner's 
share.  The  children's  real  needs  should  be  met 
as  far  as  possible  by  their  parents.  But  there 
are  many  to  whom  unlimited  legacies  are  an 
injury. 

Says  one  merchant,  "  I  started  without  a  penny, 
and  my  children  should  be  able  to  make  their  way 
with  ;^10,000  apiece,  so  I  shall  leave  only  that  much 
to  each,  distributing  the  other  two-thirds  of  my 
estate  for  Christian  work  after  my  wife  has  the 
income  during  her  life." 

If  all  wealth  is  of  God,  those  who  are  unfor- 
tunate, who  are  weak,  should  benefit  by  the 
financial  ability  of  the  strong.  As  a  banker  says, 
"  All  that  I  have  is  due  to  God's  blessing.  If  I 
had  been  born  in  China,  I  could  not  have  gained  a 
tithe  of  my  wealth,  so  I  shall  leave  half  of  it  for 
the  uplifting  of  China  that  her  children  may  have 
the  opportunities  which  my  children  and  I  inherit 
through  Christianity." 

Thousands  of  men  and  women  of  greater  or 
less  means  definitely  recognize  their  stewardship, 
not  simply  for  their  income,  but  for  their  estate. 
Says  one  farmer,  "  I  have  always  given  a  tithe 
of  my  income,   but  I  have  never  tithed  the  in- 


Legacies  and  Church  Endowments      325 

crease  in  land  value,  so  I  wish  to  invest  a  tenth 
of  all  my  possessions  where  it  will  do  the  most 
good." 

Heirs  are  not  wronged  by  such  benevolent 
legacies  as  those.  Even  if  God  had  no  claim,  the 
owner  has  a  right  to  do  as  he  will  with  his  property. 
Inheritance  laws  are  made  to  protect  against  in- 
justice to  the  wife  and  children,  and  in  case  that 
no  will  is  made.  Children  need  a  support,  but 
they  do  not  need  enough  to  relieve  them  from  such 
a  measure  of  industry  and  responsibility  as  will 
insure  their  normal  development  and  strength. 
Too  large  a  legacy  is  worse  than  none. 

Legacies  to  Churches 
Should  legacies  or  gifts  be  given  to  individual 
churches  for  endowment?  Endowments  are  not 
always  as  desirable  as  might  appear.  It  is  said 
that  when  Thomas  Aquinas  once  went  into  the 
chamber  of  Pope  Innocent  lY,  where  his  servants 
were  counting  great  sums  of  money,  the  pope  re- 
marked :  '*  You  see  the  church  can  no  longer  say 
*  Silver  and  Gold  have  I  none.' "  The  answer 
came:  "l!^or  can  she  longer  say  ^Rise  up  and 
walk.' "  Many  a  church  with  endowments  has 
lost  her  spiritual  power. 

An  Indiana  church  with  ^10,000  endowment  lost 
half  its  membership  in  twenty  years  and  ceased 
to  raise  scarcely  a  dollar  for  church  support  and 
missions.  A  Pennsylvania  church  of  well-to-do 
farmers  never  raises  a  dollar  for  support,  simply 


326  Modern  Church  Finance 

using  the  income  each  year,  then  discharging  the 
pastor  till  another  installment  falls  due. 

Churches  with  ability  to  raise  fairly  adequate 
funds  for  themselves  are  cursed  by  endowments, 
unless  they  are  for  some  specific  purpose  as  for  a 
manse,  an  organ,  a  Sunday-school  plant,  or  the 
endowment  of  a  visiting  nurse  or  organ  recital.  In 
one  case,  an  endowed  church  is  long  closed  but 
trustees  hold  the  money  and  loan  it  to  each  other 
at  two  per  cent,  interest.  In  another,  it  was  divided 
among  the  members. 

Where  Endowments  Aee  Wise 
While  endowments  tend  to  formalism  and  super- 
ficiality by  reducing  the  necessity  of  sacrifice,  un- 
doubtedly churches  in  down-town  communities 
where  the  population  is  changing,  where  the  num- 
ber or  ability  of  members  decreases  while  the  popu- 
lation in  need  of  the  Gospel  and  the  services  of  the 
church  increases,  should  benefit  as  far  as  possible  by 
special  permanent  gifts  and  legacies  from  those  who 
have  been  attached  to  the  church  and  who  for  sen- 
timental and  spiritual  reasons  would  more  readily 
invest  their  money  in  the  community. 

Under  such  conditions,  it  is  a  duty  to  secure  large 
gifts  and  legacies  from  such  former  members  and 
friends  of  the  church  to  insure  an  income  of  from 
;^5,000  to  ^25,000  per  year. 

But  care  must  be  taken  that  such  gifts  are  made 
wisely.  They  may  become  a  curse  if  they  are  not 
properly  safeguarded.     The  community  may  ulti- 


Legacies  and  Church  Endowments      327 

mately  become  depopulated.  The  Protestant  con- 
stituency may  entirely  change.  Business  may  ulti- 
mately drive  out  all  homes. 

Endowments  should  not  be  held  by  individual 
churches  but  by  denominational  bodies,  district  or 
national,  which  shall  appropriate  the  income  as  in- 
dicated by  the  donor,  and  which  shall  have  the  right, 
after  twenty-five  or  fifty  years,  by  four-fifths  vote, 
in  case  of  any  unforeseen  events,  to  transfer  the  in- 
come from  the  endowment  to  another  institution,  or 
the  institution  itself  to  another  location. 

Gifts  during  life  are  preferable  to  legacies.  In- 
heritance taxes,  will  contests,  etc.,  are  thus  avoided. 

Annuity  gifts  are  becoming  common.  The  giver 
receives  a  guaranteed  interest  of  from  two  to  eight 
per  cent,  per  annum  from  the  institution  to  which 
the  gift  has  been  made. 

Where  the  donor  does  not  need  the  income,  he 
should  make  the  gift  outright  and  enjoy  witnessing 
the  results  accomplished  by  the  gift.  If  this  is  not 
satisfactory,  he  can  give  a  promissory  note  payable 
out  of  the  estate  at  death,  bearing  interest  at  from 
four  to  six  per  cent,  for  the  benefit  of  the  institution 
meantime. 

Since  the  next  generation  will  have  far  less  pov- 
erty and  far  greater  resources,  while  states  and 
communities  as  a  whole  will  meet  by  taxation  many 
needs  which  must  now  be  provided  by  charity,  it  is 
better  to  permit  the  use  of  the  principal  within  a 
given  time,  say  ten  or  twenty  years. 

Gifts  and  legacies  should  be  given  to  existing  in- 


328  Modern  Church  Finance 

stitutions  and  missionary  boards  rather  than  to  new 
institutions  since  the  administrative  expense  will 
thus  be  largely  reduced.  Mr.  John  S.  Kennedy 
whose  benevolence  legacies  amounted  to  over  $^0,- 
000,000,  the  largest  total  ever  distributed  to  charity 
and  benevolences  in  a  will,  did  not  institute  a  single 
new  institution  or  agency,  nor  attach  his  name  to  a 
single  one.  He  entrusted  nearly  ^15,000,000  of  it 
directly  to  church  institutions  and  missionary  boards, 
and,  having  been  a  director  of  such  institutions,  he 
attached  few  conditions. 

Conditional  gifts  appeal  largely.  The  giver 
should  make  his  gift  a  lever  to  arouse  others  who 
are  less  liberal  to  do  their  duty. 

Gifts  and  legacies  should  be  made  in  legal  form 
with  great  care,  to  avoid  contests  and  to  insure  that 
the  wishes  of  the  donor  shall  be  respected,  after 
conference  with  representatives  of  the  institutions 
concerned  or  with  others  who  know  the  conditions. 

Gifts  to  churches  should  provide  that  the  church 
must  raise  all  it  can, — at  least  doubling  or  quad- 
rupling the  gift,  or  its  income,  whether  for  building 
purposes,  current  expenses  or  benevolent  budgets. 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


Princeton  Theologica 


11012  01091   2311 


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